Eden Lost
by sweetpeachytrina
Summary: When Bonnie sets out to save Stefan's soul, she is unaware that she is about to be engaged in the biggest fight of her life. Facing unspeakable evil, betrayal, and unexpected sacrifices, Bonnie finds herself struggling between the worlds of good and evil. Will the path to hell lead her to a powerful destiny, or will her savior complex be her final downfall?
1. Chapter 1

**"Eden Lost"**

When Stefan provokes Bonnie into a dangerous game of cat and mouse, Bonnie must decide between destroying or saving the Ripper. After she makes her choice, battle lines are drawn in the sand, and she finds herself facing unspeakable evil. Will Bonnie be the Salvatore brothers savior, or will they become her downfall..."

AN: Hey y'all! I decided to write a new story and I really hope you guys enjoy it. It takes place during episode 8x9 (The simple intimacy of the near touch) I did the editing myself so it may be a little rough. Feel free to drop a review and let me know what you think.

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"Would you care for a glass of champagne, miss?" a waiter with dull blue eyes asked a young woman standing alone in a corner wearing a hunter green dress and a sad smile.

Bonnie smiled appreciatively as she plucked one of the flutes of expensive champagne sitting on a polished silver tray. Nodding slightly, the weary waiter scurried away to provide service to other women desperately in need of a drink. Bonnie silently observed the throng of women going to and fro filled with nervous energy and sporting excited smiles. The Miss Mystic Falls pageant was something that every young woman in that cursed town dreamed of attending, but Bonnie couldn't help but feel like she didn't belong. She was use to being behind the scenes and showering Caroline and Elena with praises as they prepared to take center stage. She was use to every pair of eyes being drawn to the blonde and to the brunette and she was use to feeling invisible, only this time was different. Bonnie felt that she was being watched closely and whoever was stalking her had sinister motives. The mere thought caused chills to dance down her spine and she took a healthy gulp of her champagne.

Moving deeper into the sprawling mansion, Bonnie slowly became lost in her thoughts. Despite the fact that she was attending an joyous event, she had a sense of dread that warned her that something terrible was going to happen. Okay who was she kidding? Something definitely was going to go wrong. After all, this was a party taking place within the supernatural borders of Mystic Falls. Bonnie secretly envied the giggling young women and they smitten young men who danced around each other completely oblivious of the danger that surrounded them. You would think that with all the bodies that had dropped over the past years during community get togethers, there wouldn't be any people left to celebrate the town's old fashioned traditions.

Not liking the dark direction that her thoughts was beginning to take, Bonnie shoved the negativity to the back of her mind before climbing the steps leading to the second floor where it was more isolated and quiet. Making her way into one of the dressing rooms, she closed the door and lowered herself into a chair. Inhaling sharply, she struggled to fight back the tears that were burning the corners of her olive green eyes.

 _I can not wear this if it is anything more than the promise of my love for you_

Subconsciously, her fingers slowly made their way to her neck where Enzo's blood necklace had rested moments earlier. It had pained her to crush Enzo's hope of them being together forever, but what other choice did she have? Turning meant that she would be seperated from her ancestors once she had finally died. Turning meant that she would never have a connection to her magic ever again. Turning meant that there was a chance that Elena would never wake up from her magical coma. Thinking about everything she wanted but would never have made her sadness flare from deep inside of her. Not wanting to burst into tears, she tossed back the last remaining liquid in her glass before wincing as it slightly burned it's way down her throat.

"I see that someone has taken up Damon's drinking habits."

The champagne glass that Bonnie was clutching in her hand shattered and she felt her blood run cold as she lifted her head to see Stefan standing in the threshold of the room. He was smirking at her with his hands shoved deep into his pockets and his head tilted ever so slightly to the left. His carmel hair was styled perfectly, his suit was fitted like he was born into it and his grayish green eyes flittered with both malice and mischief.

"Stefan." Bonnie stood up so fast that her chair fell backwards and clattered against the floor.

"Relax," he murmured as he took a step into the room after shutting the door securely behind him. "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm just here to have a little chat."

"We have nothing to talk about," she said coldly as they circled one another.

"Your hand is bleeding," he said nonchalantly as he watched the blood slowly trickle down four of her fingers and drip into a small pool on the floor by her feet.

Bonnie swallowed with great difficulty as she quickly placed her hand behind her back. It was bad enough that she was standing face to face with a vampire who was no longer attached to his humanity. What made it worse was that she was bleeding and the Ripper was known for doing horrific things to people when he was fully overwhelmed by his blood addiction.

"I'm fine," she lied nervously as she continued to back away from him until she felt her back hit a wall. The truth was that the glass that she had unintentionally shattered had cut a wound deep in the middle of her palm and left her hand stinging and throbbing with pain.

Stefan studied her silently before walking across the room and capturing her injured hand in his grasp. He could hear her breath catch in her throat as he bought the palm of her hand closer to his face so he could observe the bloodied wound. The cut wasn't deep enough where she would require stitches, but it wasn't exactly superficial. As the scent of her blood became stronger, Stefan felt his stomach turn and his mouth begin to water. His gums begin to itch as his fangs were desperate to come out and latch onto the former witch so he could bleed her dry. Bonnie must have noticed the demented look on his face because his ears detected Bonnie's breathing become shallow. Tightening his grip on her hand, he rubbed his thumb against the wound before bringing sticking it in his mouth. Closing his eyes, a sinister smile crossed his lips as he moaned in delight. Bonnie shifted nervously as she saw the veins around his eyes become transparent and his face darkened with hunger and malice.

The sight of her blood on Stefan's lip was enough to make Bonnie swoon, but she forced her face to remain neutral.

"Let me go, Stefan," growled quietly as she tried to snatch her hand out of his.

Seconds later, Stefan's eyes snapped open and he glowered at her with a slight tick in his jaw. Using his free hand, he reached inside of the breast pocket inside of his jacket and removed a handkerchief. He didn't miss the flash of surprise that crossed Bonnie's face as he pressed the cloth firmly against her wound causing her to hiss in discomfort.

"What's wrong, Bennett?" he asked amused, as he used his handkerchief to clear her small palm from the blood and glass gathered in the wound, "Did you think I would bleed you dry?"

"The thought did cross my mind," she mumbled unable to meet his piercing gaze.

A blanket of silence fell over the room and the only sound that Stefan could hear was the violent beating of Bonnie's heart against her ribcage.

"So I couldn't help but notice that you left a rather dejected looking Enzo on the dance floor. Trouble in paradise?" he asked curiously as he continued to tend to her wound.

Bonnie flinched noticeably as she she narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "You were watching me."

The corner of Stefan's lips 'turned up lightly."Don't flatter yourself, Bennett. I was watching everyone. I saw you give Enzo back his necklace. Don't get me wrong, I'm not judging you. I think it's rather tacky to wear blood as jewelry. What I don't understand is why you gave it back. I thought you and that second rate version of my brother was happy."

"It's none of your business," she snapped feeling the back of her neck grow hot.

"Is that anyway to treat someone who is showing you mercy?" he asked with faux disappointment in his deceitful smile.

Bonnie bristled feeling annoyed.

"Why are you so interested in my love life? Shouldn't you be downstairs being Cybil's little bitch?" Bonnie snarled, "Or is it Cade's turn this week?"

Stefan slowly lifted his head and leveled Bonnie with a look that was both cold and terrifying. The veins around his eyes became transparent, his eyes shifted to a scary shade of onyx and his fangs became exposed. The atmosphere between them was thick and filled with danger and palpable tension. Before she could have a moment to regret her reckless words, the volatile vampire used his supernatural agility to grab her by the neck before slamming her back against the door. Bonnie felt her head swim from the sudden unexpected relocation of her body. Stefan grinned, and she was both repulsed and in awe at how positively sinister and attractive he was in that moment. He was toying with her, and she knew he was fickle enough to end her life if he felt the urge to lash out violently. The first vampire to save her life from a monster was now the monster who was going to probably end her life. The irony was funny, but cruel. The seething vampire used his thumb to apply rough pressure to the wound making Bonnie whimper in pain. Stefan bit down on his bottom lip softly. "Careful, Bonnie. I might forget that you are irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, and I may just find myself making you my bitch."

The silence between became so thick with tension that Bonnie swore that she could taste the danger in the air. Smiling wolfishly, Stefan moved even closer, if that was possible, to Bonnie causing his face to hover inches away from her. There was a time years ago when Bonnie would have blushed at the thought of Stefan being this close to her and his mere presence would have made butterflies flutter inside of her stomach. Now his closeness was only making her feel slightly nauseated from the fear that was currently paralyzing her.

"I'm not scared of you, Stefan. I'm not scared of your creepy threats and I'm not scared to die, so if you are going to kill me, stop with all the theatrics and get it over with," she snapped irritated.

Stefan stared at her silently. Without warning, He vamped out flashing his fangs and staring down at her murderously with his finger nails sinking deeply into her skin causing her to moan in discomfort. When it was clear that she wasn't going to back down, his face returned to normal and he broke out in deep and genuine laughter.

"I had no idea how fun you could be Bonnie," he smirked releasing her throat from his hand and taking several steps back.

"You are lucky that I don't have my magic," she growled, her olive green eyes flashing in defiance.

Stefan arched an carmel eyebrow as his eyes lingered briefly on Bonnie's trembling lips. He could hear every beat of her heart, smell the sweat on her skin and taste the fear radiating off her small petite frame in waves. It would be so easy for him to bury his fangs into the side of her neck and drain her life force out of her, but the sensible part of him fought to keep the animal inside of him at bay. There was a purpose and a reason behind his madness. His purpose was to rid Elena from the Earth. His reason was to make his brother suffer miserably and if that meant using his best friend as a bargaining chip to get what he wanted, Stefan was more than happy to do so.

Flashing his most trusting smile, Stefan suddenly lowered himself on his haunches before staring at her dress with a look of deep concentration on his face.

Taking a couple of steps backwards, Bonnie stared down at him confused. "What are you doing?"

Without any warning, Stefan grabbed the hem of her dress before ripping it violently and snatching a piece of fabric between his fingers, leaving her right leg and most of her upper thigh and a flash of her green laced panties exposed to the naked eye.

Bonnie stared at him bugged eyes and her mouth open resembling a fish out of water. "What the hell is your problem? I just bought this dress."

"I needed something to bandage your hand with. I didn't think you were the type to place your vanity before you own wellbeing." He shrugged nonchalantly as he rose to his feet and smirked at her, "Besides, this cheap fabric is easily replaceable at your local strip mall."

Bonnie opened her mouth to protest, but realized at the last moment that it wasn't worth it to engage the unstable vampire in a petty squabble about fashion. Swallowing nervously, her eyes darted to and fro wondering how quick she could escape the room without being eaten alive.

"You are a liar, Bonnie Bennett," he said softly.

Bonnie blinked stunned.

"Excuse me?" she exclaimed indignantly.

"You said that you are not afraid of me, but that's not true. You are afraid that I just playing nice in order to lure you into a false sense of security before I turn on you and kill you," he stated matter of factly.

Bonnie swallowed as she stared at him nervously. "Well you did just literally threatened me a few seconds ago."

The vampire lifted his head and stared at her curiously.

"I could have easily drained you dry and leave my pathetic brother and Caroline to mourn over your young and tender corpse," Stefan mused aloud as his finger tips flirted lightly with her right clavicle, "But where is the fun in that."

Bonnie scoffed rudely. "Of course you would find destroying another person...fun."

"You sound so judgemental, Bennett. If it makes you feel any better, I couldn't hurt you even if I wanted you to," he sighed dramatically, "Cade has forbidden it."

This news stunned Bonnie and she felt mind racing with several different questions. Why would Cade forbid Stefan to hurt her? How did Cade know who she was? Was Cade acting to protect or was his plans something far more darker and nefarious?

Almost as if he had been reading her mind, Stefan laughed amused before pressing his index finger against her plushed lips."You think too much, Bonnie. All will be revealed in due time. For now, just relax and know that you aren't in any danger...for now," he assured before tying a graceful bow over her wound with the fabric he had ripped from her dress. "There. All done."

"Thanks...I guess," she mumbled withdrawing her hand from his.

After the tension became palpable and unbearable, Bonnie cleared her throat nervously, " If Cade doesn't want to hurt me, why are you here? What is it that you want?"

"I want a lot of things, Bonnie. I want for my brother to free himself from the emotional leash that is clutched by his handler known as Elena. I want to go on the road and kill and bleed people dry until my undead heart's content, but I realized that I can't have either of those things and that's where you come in." Stefan's smile was deadly and cold and caused Bonnie's mouth to grow dry.

Bonnie fidgeted anxiously as she forced herself not to scream for help. Instead she figured it was best to entertain Stefan's psychotic delusions and silently pray that Enzo and Caroline would notice that she was missing and come look for her.

"Why do you hate Damon so much?" she asked softly as she stared up at Stefan with her head tilted slightly as if she was studying him, "I understand that Damon is a deeply flawed person who has questionable morals and a very shady past, but he has been trying to find redemption and he is the only family that you have left, Stefan. Despite everything that he has ever done, Damon is your brother. Damon is-"

"Damon is pathetic," Stefan interrupted bitterly as he slowly closed between him and the frightened witch, "First he anchored his undead heart and feelings to Katherine only to find out she never really gave a damn about him, and instead of hating Katherine for the bitch that she is, he decides to resent me because to Damon only one thing matters in this world and that's having everything that I had first. That's why he went after Elena. Damon only exist because he needs a woman to validate his worth. As long as he cling to his hope and his love for Elena, he will never be free, and what kind of brother would I be to continue to allow him to be controlled by his love for Elena?"

 _A jealous brother who can't seem to let go of the past,_ Bonnie wanted to say, but forced a smile instead.

Bonnie bit her lip softly as she realized she was wallowing in dangerous waters, but she decided to push forward anyways. Taking a deep breath and setting her spine straight, she lifted her gaze and stared the seething vampire directly in his grayish green eyes.

"Damon is never going to be the brother you want him to be. No matter how much you brood about it, or even try to force him to change, he won't. Damon is Damon. Elena couldn't change him and he loves her more than anything in this world. What makes you think you, the brother he promised an eternity of misery too, will change him? You can't. You won't," Bonnie said honestly.

For a moment Bonnie saw a flicker of something that suspiciously look like hurt flash across Stefan's face, but when she blinked it was gone and Stefan was glaring at her with his fist clenched at his sides and his teeth bared.

"It looks like I struck a nerve, and I'm sorry but someone needs to tell you the truth. You will never get what you want. Who exactly do you want him to be, Stefan? Would you prefer that he was more like you? A soulless vampire with a blood addiction who gets off by murdering innocent people and leaving tragedy and chaos in his wake?" Bonnie asked evenly, "Would you prefer that he was a monster like you?"

"You really should watch your tongue, Bonnie. You may be under Cade's protection, but he never said anything about taping one your delicate little veins," Stefan warned hotly.

"Wait. You just told me that Cade said that I was to remain unharmed," Bonnie insisted. _Wait, was she really expecting a psychotic blood thirsty vampire to be a man of his word?_

"Yes, but feeding from someone isn't always harmful," he smirked, flashing his fangs briefly, "Not when I do it anyways."

"Don't play coy, Stefan. I have heard horror stories of what you have done during your blood lust. It always ends painfully," she said suspiciously.

Stefan laughed softly before walking across the room and stopped in front of the window, standing with his back faced towards her.

"I could make it hurt," he murmured with a soft tenderness in his voice as he turned to face her with a look of menace on his face, "I could rip your throat out and bleed you dry until you are nothing but a pretty corpse. I could also sink my fangs into your beautiful flesh and make your blood weep with joy from the agony of the loss of your very essence."

Bonnie shivered and turned to walk towards the entrance of the room when she found Stefan blocking her path with a dark smile on his handsome face.

"Going somewhere, little witch?" he asked lazily.

"If you are going to hurt me, fine, but I'm not going to stand here and just let you do it without a fight." Whirling around her heels, Bonnie released a scream for help and lunged for the door handle when Stefan abruptly grabbed her around her waist with one arm while using his free hand to cover her mouth muffling her cries. She shuddered in fear as she felt his hot breath against her neck and she squeezed her eyes shut as she waited for him to plunge his fangs deep into her neck before sucking her dry. The terror that she felt was so intense, that it caused Bonnie's to buckle and she nearly passed out.

"Relax, Bennett," Stefan murmured as his fangs slowly emerged causing Bonnie's blood to run cold, "I don't plan taking a single drop of your blood. You are going to take a couple of drops of mine."

Stefan grinned as he watch the look of realization and horror flicker across her face.

Without any preamble or warning, Stefan bit into his wrist and as he gripped the back of her neck, he forced his wrist inside of her mouth and held her firmly as blood flowed plentiful past her lips and into her system. When her eyes began to get droopy and her knees began to buckle, Stefan reluctantly ripped his wrist away and stared at her amused.

Bonnie wiped her wet mouth with the back of a very shaky hand before glaring at him confused and highly pissed off.

"You really are a monster," she mumbled choking back tears and bile building in the back of her throat coated with his thick blood.

Stefan smiled darkly. "Don't be so dramatic, Bonnie. I was just trying to prove a point. You see, I could be someone who can help you," he murmured as he stared down at her injured hand, "Or I could be someone who could hurt you in ways that you never dreamed were possible."

"Why are you doing this?" she managed to squeak when she had finally swallowed the lump that had been forming inside of her throat, "We both know that Damon would never give on loving Elena, so what do you hope to accomplish with this twisted and sick plan of yours?"

Stefan rolled his eyes before toying with a loose strand of her chestnut brown hair lazily.

"Come on, Bennett. You are suppose to be the smart one in our little supernatural gang," Stefan sighed annoyed as he continued his pacing, "Damon can't be the brother he was meant to be. Why? Because of Elena. You can't spend eternity with the man you love? Why? Elena." Stefan stopped strolling around the room and came to a stop near a mirror where he met Bonnie's eyes in the reflection, "Wouldn't life be so easy if we simply eliminated the source of all of our troubles?"

"You can't be serious," Bonnie whispered in horror.

Stefan laughed before rolling his eyes.

"I'm as serious as a fang in an arterial vein," he said narrowing his grayish blue eyes, "Elena is nothing more than a constant reminder of pain and misery. She is like a cancerous limb that needs to be removed in order for the body as a whole to thrive and survive."

"Elena is our friend, she is the woman that you and Damon loved," Bonnie protested.

"She is poison," Stefan exploded, his eyes glowing with rage, "God, you are pathetic and I never thought I would say this, but you are worse than Damon. You will worship at the altar of Elena because you think that what loyalty and devotion calls you to do so, but the truth is that you don't have to. You have already given up so much for her to ensure that she was safe and sound, but think about everything that you had to sacrifice in her name?" he growled as he moved closer to her, "We can all have what we want if we just let Elena go. Believe it or not I'm doing all of this so that you and I both can be free from her."

Bonnie smiled up at him sadly. "The thing that you don't understand is that I don't want to be free of Elena, Stefan. She is my friend. Her sacrifice is the reason why I'm alive today. You don't just give up on people. Not when they have given up so much for you."

"What about everything that you have given up for her?" he inquired quietly as he stared at her like she was some puzzle that he was trying to solve, "What about the people that you loved and lost? If Elena had never allowed Damon and I to remain her lives, your grams would probably still be alive, your mother wouldn't be a vampire and you would have never have risked angering your dead ancestors just so that you could bring her brother back to life. Elena had many chances to chose you, her best friend, as her top priority. She never did though. She chose me and then she chose Damon. Whether you want to admit it or not, you were always an afterthought."

His words hit her like a stinging slap to the face, and Bonnie had to turn away from him to avoid him seeing the pain that his callous words had caused. A part of her knew that while Stefan was intentionally twisting her history and her relationship with Elena, there was a part of him that was telling the brutal truth. Bonnie had never hesitated when it came to making sacrifices for Elena, but Elena had always put her love for Stefan and Damon above everything and everyone else, including her. The doppelganger had been so focused on saving the brother's from themselves, that she had made her family and friends collateral damage while attempting to find Damon and Stefan the redemption that she believed that they deserved. While Bonnie had sometimes question Elena's motives and choices in life, she had blindly supported her. Eventually Bonnie her grown to resent her for those life changing decisions that had affected her life.

Swallowing back the lump forming in her throat, Bonnie whirled around and faced him with her hands planted firmly on her hips. "At least I knew who Elena was and at the end of the day she loved me just as much as I loved her. Despite everything that she and I went through, we were friends. You can stand there and judge Elena all you want, but at least she cared about me. All you ever did was come around when you needed me for my magic. You used me, threatened me, and you always chose her over everything else. You are right about thing. I was always an afterthought. You made sure of that whenever you would exploit my love for Elena and leave me behind to pick up the pieces after the destruction and chaos. You may hate Elena, but I think that deep down, you only hate her because you know that you are just like her."

Stefan's right eye twitched slightly as his face darkened with anger.

"You find me so reprehensible and hold so much resentment towards me, but you easily forgive Damon. Even after the fact that he nearly tore your throat out that fateful night in the woods," he reminded smirking with his arms folded across his chest, "Tell me, Bennett. Why do you allow Damon a place in your heart, while I'm left out in the cold?"

"Damon showed me that he was worth forgiving," Bonnie explained softly as a a brief flash of tenderness flashed across her pretty face, "He made amends for his past mistakes and he and I eventually grew to care about each other. He let me in and allowed me to see who he truly was. You never let me in. You never even tried to to atone for the sins you committed against me."

"That's because I knew that allowing you to get close to me would mean dragging you into the darkness, and I couldn't do that to you. How could I ask you to forgive me for the things I have done to you when I have never forgiven myself," he whispered bitterly, "I knew that if you ever saw who I truly was...you would hate me."

"You showed Caroline who you were and she loved you in spite of your checkered past," Bonnie protested tearfully, "When you let down your mask and showed your real face to her, you trusted her."

"Caroline was already a vampire, Bonnie. She was already corrupted. She was already touched by darkness. I couldn't do the same to you. I couldn't let you be dragged down by my demons. I kept my distance from you because you were the last person that I wanted to destroy," he confessed hoarsely.

" You trusted Damon, Elena, and Lexi," she said angrily as she ticked off each name on one of her fingers, "Hell you trusted Klaus at one point but you never trusted me."

Stefan clenched his teeth in anger

"You never trusted me," he exploded frustrated, his grayish green eyes glittering with unbridled rage.

"You never given me a reason to," she cried frustrated.

Without any warning, Stefan flashed in front of her, grabbing her by the shoulders before slamming her back against the wall nearly knocking the air out of Bonnie's lungs. Leaning towards her, the vampire pressed his lips against the shell of her ear. "You want a reason? How about the fact that I fed you my blood but didn't snap your neck? How about the fact that I haven't decorated this lovely room with your guts and flesh? Why do you think that you are still breathing even as we speak?"

His seemingly innocent questions caused chills to dance down Bonnie's spine.

"The reason why I am not dead is because you plan on using me to get to Damon and once you get what you want, you are going to rip me to shreds," she replied unhappily as she stared him straight in the eye.

Stefan chuckled darkly as he stared down at the distressed young witch feeling a twinge of remorse as he released her. "I don't want to hurt you, Bonnie. I hate that you had to get caught between me and Damon's issues, but as long as you do exactly what I say, you will walk away from all of this unharmed."

"You don't have to do this, Stefan. Despite everything that you have said and done, I can clearly see that there is still some good inside of you," Bonnie said gently, "You don't have to keep working with Cade."

"Maybe Cade is just giving me the space and opportunity to embrace the monster that I was always meant to be," Stefan said, his quiet voice heavy with self loathing as he stared out of the window with his hands shoved deep into his pockets, "After everything that I have done in my life, I deserve to be in hell."

Bonnie sighed frustrated and planted her hands on her hips.

"You don't have to just accept this as your new life, Stefan. You don't have to give up. You can fight back. You just have to want to be saved," she protested.

"I'm not capable of being saved, Bonnie," Stefan whispered bitterly as he slowly turned to face her, "Not this time."

"If you think that for a single second that I'm going to give up on you, you have another thing coming," she growled tearfully, "When Enzo and Damon were gone, you were there for me. When I lost all hope of ever seeing them again, you gave me a reason to have faith. You taught me that friends don't give up on one another and that is why I am never going to give up on you."

Stefan stared down at her with a haunted look in his grayish blue eyes. "Why? Why do you care so much about what happens to me?"

Before she could answer, the door flew open and Damon breezed in with a cocky smirk on his face and a metal ball in his hands. Bonnie couldn't help but notice that there was blood and a few strands of matted hair on the object and she shuddered in horror not wanting to think about how Damon managed to secure the weapon. Seeing Stefan and Bonnie together caused a look of surprise and confusion to flash across the handsome vampire's pale face.

"Bonnie, are you okay?" he asked, his voice very soft and dangerous.

Bonnie forced a smile. Stefan had just fed her his blood and she was trying to convince him not to skip his psychotic ass over the cliff into the sea of darkness. Was she okay? Not even close.

"I'm fine," she lied, "I was just on my way to find Enzo."

She moved to exit the room when Stefan hand flew out and grabbed her wrist holding her firmly in place.

"Let her go, Stefan," Damon snarled, with murder in his pale blue eyes.

"Bonnie and I weren't finished talking," he said tersely.

Before he could finish talking, Damon had sped across the room and grabbed Stefan by the lapels of his suit and slammed him against the wall. The force was so violent that it left a deep crack in the drywall.

Stefan snapped a hanger in half before jamming it into Damon's gut causing him to roar in pain as he fell to his knees. Smiling victoriously, Stefan casually made his way back to where Bonnie was standing with her mouth hanging open watching the entire scene unfold like a terrible horror movie.

"I guess we will have to finish our conversation at a later date," he whispered seductively before using the pad of his thumb to stroke away the blood that was lingering on her bottom lip.

"Stefan, I'm warning you," Damon moaned in pain as he tried to make his way to his feet, "Don't you touch her."

Stefan's brow knitted together in confusion.

"Who is going to stop me?" Stefan asked innocently as he reached down and gently captured her chin between his index finger and thumb.

Bonnie blinked confused and before she knew what was happening Stefan's mouth was sealed on top of hers and he was kissing her. For a brief moment, Bonnie could have sworn that her heart stopped beating. The kiss wasn't sweet nor was it romantic. It was rough and punishing. When she felt his cool tongue sweep inside of her mouth, a startled moan escaped her lips and as much as she wanted to snatch away from him, her body was ignoring all of the frantic commands that her mind was shooting through her neurons. As he boldly deepened the kiss, something akin to fire began to surge through her veins causing her knees buckle. She felt his heavy hands rest on her hips and his nails sank deep into the fabric covering her delicate flesh. The flash of pain jolted her out of her shock and she quickly came crashing back to reality. Bracing her hands on his chest, she pushed away from him and glared at him with anger and indignation flashing in her pale green eyes. Stefan laughed quietly before licking his lips deliberately, "See you soon, Bennett."

Before Bonnie could catch her breath, Stefan had disappeared.

AN Okay, in case there was any confusion, the Stefan in this story has a shortage in his humanity switch which means sometimes it's on and sometimes it's off which makes him have this borderline personality disorder. This is going to be a very slow burn which means that the main pairing (for now) is Bonnie and Enzo, but they are NOT the endgame. Also, this will explore the complicated relationship between Bamon and the strained friendship of Stefonnie. I already know who she is going to end up with, but I am going to keep that little secret under lock and key. Also, this will not be canon.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Thanks for all of the amazing reviews!

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"Son of a bitch!" Damon hissed through his teeth as he collapsed in an armchair made up of crushed red velvet. Beads of sweat peppered his brow and upper lip as he struggled to find a comfortable position on the cushy piece of furniture. His white shirt was stained with his blood and there was an ugly tear in his jacket where Stefan had brutally stabbed him. As he yanked the offending piece of plastic shrapnel out of his guts, be bit down on his bottom lip trying not to cry out in agony. Narrowing his ice blue eyes, he pressed his hand firmly over the gaping wound in his side while silently plotting ways to destroy his younger brother. Stefan attacking him whenever he was in an volatile state was nothing new, but having his brother attack him in front of Bonnie left Damon feeling humiliated on a whole different level. _When I get my hands on Stefan, I am going to beat the brakes off his ass._

While Damon was slipping in out of consciousness, Bonnie stood in the middle of the room staring at the door that Stefan had disappeared through seconds earlier. Her entire interaction with the youngest Salvatore vampire had left the former witch completely shaken and completely caught off guard. Stefan had kissed her and while she was outraged and furious that he would take such liberties with her mouth without her permission, a part of her was reeling from his kiss but not in a way she had expected. She had never been kissed with such cold passion and brutality. Her lips were swollen to the point where they were throbbing and her panties that had been dry earlier was now slightly moist. Gritting her teeth, she silently cursed Stefan's existence while mentally plotting his demise. It was bad enough that Stefan turned on her, but convincing her body to follow suit and that didn't sit too well with her.

"Earth to Bonnie," Damon snapped angrily snapping the young witch out of her trance, "When you aren't too busy swooning, I could really use your assistance."

Bonnie blinked several times before turning her attention towards the injured vampire writhing in pain. She was ashamed to say that she had forgotten Damon was even in the room after Stefan's kiss. As she stared at him quietly, she felt a slight twinge of guilt. There was a time where she would have been overjoyed in seeing him in this pitiful state, but at that moment, she felt both uncomfortable and sympathetic. Realizing that at any moment anyone could walk in and find Damon bleeding all over the place, Bonnie marched across the room and locked the door before rushing over to Damon's side.

"I wasn't swooning, you _idiot_. I was just wishing that I had my magic so that I could set your unstable brother on fire," she grumbled as she dropped to her knees. Swatting his hand away, she studied his wound closely. The wound would heal eventually, but Damon needed blood in order to make the process happen faster. Grabbing the end of the piece of fabric that Stefan had used to bandage her hand, she held her wounded hand towards cold his lips."Drink," she ordered. Not needing to be told twice, Damon grabbed her by the wrist. Pressing his lips to the cut on her palm before drinking greedily. When he had the enough amount to stop the bleeding in his abdomen, he pulled back and sighed heavily. Feeling the pain subsiding, Damon's blue eyes flickered to her face and a look of relief flashed across her face. "Thanks, Bon Bon."

Bonnie offered him a brief smile before lowering her gaze away from his handsome face. She went to remove her hand from his when he abruptly tightened his grip. She swallowed deeply as she forced her eyes to settle on his face. Even though there were still traces of pain etched deep into his face, she saw appreciation and affection beneath the hurt."Here...let me help you with that," he murmured. Before she could respond, he swept his cold, wet tongue across her wound slowly and deliberately allowing his saliva to heal her wound. Bonnie felt a warm blush spread through her body as Damon's eyes bore into her intensely.

She could feel his hot breath grazing her fingertips as his mouth lingered inches away from her sweaty palm. First Stefan kissed her like he was a starved man, and now Damon was licking blood with a not so thinly veiled innuendo in his heated gaze. Bonnie felt like she was experiencing a weird shift in the universe. The last thing she ever wanted was to be the focus of one Salvatore vampire, and now she was on the receiving end of two? Shaking her head and fighting the feeling of anxiety building up inside of her, she snatched her hand away.

"We need to find Enzo and Caroline and get the hell out of here," she said mumbled as she helped the injured vampire to his feet. She was surprised and a little bit confused when he snatched away from her, his handsome face darkened with anger."Don't you think we should address the elephant in the room before we go running off looking for blondie and your boyfriend?" he inquired sharply.

Bonnie flinched noticeably.

"I don't know what you are talking about," she stated lamely."I'm talking about that sparks that was flying between you and Stefan when you kissed," he explained curtly. His blue eyes were flashing wildly as he tightly clutched the hole in his side that was slowly healing.

Bonnie stared at him feeling her cheeks burn hot. She had been hoping that Damon would pretend that Stefan kissing her didn't happen, but she experienced no such luck."

I-I don't know, Damon. I am just as confused about his bizarre behavior as you are," she stammered flustered.

Damon snorted rudely as he limped over to her and glared at her suspiciously. Her lips were slightly puffy, her brown skin was flushed and he could smell a hint of was very little that Damon didn't know about the little witch. After spending four months living together in the prison world, they had learned all sorts of things about one another. He had first smelled her delicious womanly aroma one morning in the prison world when she had come down for breakfast. He assumed she had a wet dream, but she never let on that she was in heat and surprisingly, Damon had the common decency not to bring it up. Now that he was detecting the familiar scent lingering in the air between them, he felt his mouth water and his anger swell. Bonnie could pretend that she was outraged by Stefan's fucked up display of affection, but it annoyed Damon that she wasn't being honest about how it affected her. She wasn't just confused. She was actually turned on by it!

"The funny thing is that you didn't seem all that confused when he was kissing you. In fact, if I didn't know any better, I would think that you actually liked swapping spit with my brother," the dark haired vampire spat venomously.

Bonnie olive green eyes widened in disbelief. She could see where this conversation was heading and she wasn't in the mood to fight with Damon over something that had been completely out of her control.

"Damon, let's not go there," she warned quietly as she reached up and tucked a strand of her curled hair behind her ear.

"No, let's go there Bon Bon," he snarled towering over her with his teeth bared, "Stefan felt comfortable enough to enter your personal space and treat your lips like his stolen property. I just want to know why you let him."

Bonnie felt a lump form in her throat. "Come on, Damon. We both know that Stefan isn't exactly in his right mind," she pointed out weakly.

"Well from the looks of it, neither are you," he retorted bitterly.

Bonnie laughed in disbelief. "Really, Damon?"

"Yes, really," the eldest Salvatore snapped, "Stefan may not be in his right mind, but you are. You should have stopped him, but you didn't. I just don't understand why."

"Listen. I know that you didn't appreciate have ring side seats to Stefan's little act of insanity, but do you really think that I appreciated being the main attraction?" Bonnie demanded irritated, "Your brother somehow managed to make me hate him and feel sorry for him before turning around and shoving not only his blood but his tongue down my throat. If anyone has the right to be upset right now, it's me. Not you."

"He fed you his blood," he whispered in horror.

Bonnie didn't think it was possible for Damon to become paler than what he already was, but there he was standing in front of her looking whiter than a sheet of paper. It was in that moment that Bonnie realized that telling Damon that little detail was probably not a good idea. He was already agitated and now she had unintentional poured fuel on an already out of control fire.

"Yes. He could have hurt or killed me, but he didn't. He was just trying to prove some sick point," she tried desperately, but Damon wasn't listening.

Stefan had not only crossed one line by feeding Bonnie his blood, but he had completly fucked up when he had the nerve to put his lips where they didn't belong. There were a lot of things that Damon was willing to let slide when it came to Stefan. He had stood by silently while Stefan went on a killing spree, he didn't bat an eyelash when Stefan had taken advantage of women even while he was suppose to be in love with Caroline. Hell, he even tolerated his younger brother's long and boring lectures about brotherhood and letting Elena go. All of those things were tolerable, but when Stefan decided to turn his deranged sights on Bonnie and assault her, that's where Damon drew the line. Nobody fucks with the little witch and get away with it.

With murder flashing in his pale blue eyes, Damon clenched his teeth before storming out of the room.

Feeling fear and panic surging to the surface, Bonnie bolted after him silently praying that a pissed off Damon wouldn't cause a scene and make things go from bad to worse.

Fortunately someone had been listening to her prayers because Caroline chose that particular moment to come around the corner.

"Where the hell have you two been?" the blonde vampire screeched unhappily, "You two missed the last dance and I was force having to waltz with Enzo who isn't exactly light on his feet. No offense, Bon."

Damon glowered at Caroline who was standing directly in his path. He was preparing to tell her to move her ass out of the way when Bonnie appeared at his side and clutched his arm tightly.

"Sorry we missed it. Damon and I were taking care of something," she murmured apologetic. Caroline folded her arms across her chest and stared at the seething vampire and the former witch warily. "What was more important than the last dance?"

"How about the fact that Stefan practically destroyed Bon Bon's dress, fed her his blood and shoved his," he started but he yelped when Bonnie sunk her nails into his arms shooting him a dirty look.

Caroline wide blue eyes rested on Bonnie stunned.

"Stefan attacked you?" she asked in horror as her hands flew to her mouth and her eyes filled with tears.

Hating to see her friend upset, Bonnie flashed a warm smile and moved closer to the blonde.

"Stefan didn't hurt me, Care. He was just trying to scare me a little, that's all," she murmured trying to calm the trembling vampire who was quickly nearing high levels of hysteria.

"Why are you down playing what he did, Bon?" Damon argued, "If I hadn't gotten to you when I did, Stefan could have did a lot worse than what he did."

"But he didn't," Bonnie insisted flashing him a look warning him to back off before turning her attention back to Caroline, "Stefan is just in a dark place right now and it's not really his fault. It's Cybil and Cade."

Caroline shook her head stubbornly causing several of her blonde curls to bounce around her shoulders.

"He's gone too far this time," she whispered angrily as she brushed a stray tear that had fallen down her cheek, "I have given him so many chances to do the right thing. To be the man that I have fallen in love with but a part of me is really believing that Stefan doesn't want to the good man that I know that he can be. Maybe it's easier for him to be a monster and to live his life in chaos. Some people find comfort when they are living in hell."

When she twisted her engagement finger off of her finger, Bonnie felt her heart plummet into the pit of her stomach.

"Caroline, wait," she started, but the other woman stopped her in mid sentence by holding up her hand to silence her.

"Bonnie, I have to do this. I'm tired of being on this emotional merry go round with Stefan. He is killing again and he hurt one of my best friends. What kind of person would I be if I just turned a blind eye to his actions? What kind of friend would I be if I let the man I love get away with hurting someone who is like family to me?" she asked bleakfully, "Maybe Stefan and I can find a way to each other in the future, but right now...we just can't be together."

As the heartbroken vampire disappeared down the hall, Bonnie made a move to go after her, but Damon blocked her path.

"What the hell are you doing, Damon? We have to stop her before she does something that she is going to live to regret," she stared at her annoyed.

"Did you not just hear what blondie said? Besides, you are lucky she is the one confronting Stefan right now. If it was me, I would beaten him within an inch of his life," he breathed angrilly.

"Stefan doesn't need you to assault him or for Caroline to lose hope. She is doing the wrong thing," Bonnie tried desperately.

"It's not your choice, Bonnie. It's her. Think about how many times Caroline has been down this road with Stefan. Maybe she doesn't want to live the rest of her eternal life wondering when her husband to be will flip off his humanity switch and go all crazy pants. Maybe she doesn't want to live the rest of her life anchored down by a man who is constantly plagued by darkness and self loathing," Damon growled.

"She loves him and love with the right amount of time and patience, love can overcome anything," Bonnie said firmly, "You of all people should know that."

"You of all people should know that not everyone can be saved," he fired back."I refuse to believe that," she argued vehemently."Well then I'm afraid that you are going to end up in a world of perpetual disappointment, sister," Damon said evenly.

The vampire and witch stood in the hall breathing heavily as they glared at one another neither willing to back down. They have been at these crossroads before where both of them would think they were right and the other was wrong. They would lock horns, argue and while sometimes they would come to an reluctant compromise, most of the times the fights would end with Bonnie storming off and Damon trying to find a way back to his sanity at the bottom of a bottle of Bourbon. This time was no different if the scowl on Bonnie's face and Damon's silent wish for a bottle of Bourbon to appear in his hand was any indication. Bonnie made a move to walk away from him when Damon blocked her path.

"Where are you going?" Damon growled.

"To find my damn boyfriend."

#

Leaning against his car, Enzo clutched his blood necklace while silently staring out at the sun that was settling over the horizon. Despite knowing that Bonnie had returned his precious gift in a noble and selfless manner, the handsome vampire couldn't help but feel a twinge of resentment towards the woman that he considered to be the love of his life. Over the past few years, he and Bonnie had been through so many things that had both served to bring them together and threatened to tear them apart. After everything Bonnie had survived and all the sacrifices that she had made, Enzo felt entitled to an happy ending, but unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be. Bonnie had made it perfectly clear that she wasn't going to turn into a vampire so that they could spend eternity together which meant that Enzo had to face the inevitable truth. He was going to outlive her and eventually watch as the woman he was in love with grow old and die. The thought made his throat tightened and the corner of his eyes burn hot with unshed tears, but he forced himself to keep his emotions at bay. The last thing he wanted was Bonnie to find him feeling bitter and sad when this was supposed to be a day where she could enjoy doing normal things for once.

"You looked troubled, Enzo."

Enzo slowly turned around and felt his anger spike when he found himself face to face to with Cybil. He felt a mixture of fear and apprehension seep through his pores as he stared her down. She was wearing the exact same green gown that Bonnie was wearing and her hair was styled in the exact same fashion. Her brown eyes sparkled with mischief and her lips was coated with pink gloss. He felt the hair on his arms rise slightly as he recognized his blood necklace around her neck. The sight was incredibly disturbing and it caused a huge lump to form inside of his throat. Cybil was notorious for playing mind games and he knew what her sudden presence meant and he knew that nothing good could come from the impending conversation.

"I'm fine, love," he said flatly shoving his hands deep inside of his pockets while glaring at the smug siren, "Don't let your concern for me keep you from enjoying the party."

Cybil pouted playfully at his failed attempt at dismissing her. She could see that Enzo was furious with her and she couldn't exactly blame him. Ever since Enzo had stumbled into the vault and unwillingly became her slave, she had made his life a living hell. She had kept him from Bonnie for four months, she had forced him to kill so that she could feed and she had manipulated him into doing plenty of questionable things. While she had found the time she had spent with Enzo fulfilling and extremely pleasant, she could tell that the dark vampire felt the complete opposite.

"Speaking of the party, I was very disappointed that you didn't save me a dance," she said sweetly, as she played with his tie lazily, "I didn't get a chance to tell you that I have missed you."

Enzo tensed as he stared down at her warily. Cybil was pretending to be innocent and sweet, but he knew that beneath the facade was a bloodthirsty demon who was willing to do and say anything to get what she wanted.

"Yes, I got that message loud and clear when you weaseled your way into my subconscious and nearly tortured me to death," he grumbled as he tugged his tie out of her slender finger.

She laughed genuinely amused as she bit down on her bottom lip softly. The memory of slipping into Enzo's subconscious and torturing him caused a flash of warmth to spread through her extremities. Even though she knew that it was sick to admit, Cybil had thoroughly enjoyed gouging out Enzo's eye and ripping out his guts. His screams and his fear and pain had been a major turn on for her. She tended to do dramatic things whenever she was spurned and rejected. Even though she didn't regret any of things she had done to poor Enzo, she knew that if she didn't want to scare him off, she had to tread carefully.

"You should know that I was only trying to teach you a lesson," she purred softly, "When you escaped from me, you hurt my feelings. You had to know that scorning a siren would not end well for you."

"Well I am free of you now, so if you don't mind, I will be on my way. Bonnie is waiting for me," he said stiffly.

He was turning to head back to the mansion when Cybil blocked his path flashing a charming smile.

"Relax, Enzo. Bonnie's fine. When I last saw her she was in the company of Damon and that wretched blonde," she informed casually before batting her eyes flirtatiously, "I don't see why Damon insists on hanging around low rent women when he could have someone of my caliber."

Enzo's left eyebrow arched as he detected a hint of resentment in her voice.

"Bonnie and Caroline are amazing women, Cybil. They don't have to use manipulation and hurt people to get what they want. You could probably take a page from their book," he suggested quietly.

Cybil bristled noticeably as she folded her arms across her petite chest. She had taken road trips inside of Enzo's mind many times and it was always annoying at how the vampire with the accent would view the Bennett witch. Through his eyes, she saw a woman that was powerful, beautiful, and loyal. She saw what Enzo saw and that was the perfect woman. Even though she had tried to push Bonnie out of Enzo's head, the vampire stubbornly clung to his love for her, and that had infuriated her to no ends.

"Bonnie and Caroline are nothing more than two insecure brats who ended up with powerful men that are way out of their league. Damon is too big of a catch to let go because he is too busy pining over a human girl locked in casket," Cybil said, icicles dripping from her words.

"What's with your obsession with Damon anyways? You keep trying to worm your way into his mind and his heart, but what you failed to realize is that he is never going to love you," Enzo said curtly.

A look of her shadowed the siren's face, but milliseconds it was gone and replaced by a look of vengeance.

"I may not be able to have Damon, but don't forget that you are not as strong and fiercely loyal as he is. Don't forget that I was able to have you more ways than one and if I wanted to, I could have you again."

Enzo paled noticeably and Cybil's wicked smile grew wider.

"What's wrong, love?" she said mockingly, "You haven't told your beloved your dirty little secret? Maybe I should fill her in."

Enzo glared at her angrily. "You will keep your mouth shut, or I swear I will..."

"You will what, Enzo?" she asked amused, as she traced her manicured nail along his strong jawline, "You won't do We both know who is in control in our little relationship."

"We have no relationship. You were nothing more than a control freak who couldn't take no for an answer," he said scathingly.

"Oh please, Enzo. Spare me the self righteous indignation. I may be a siren who exercise my control to get inside of your head, but I hardly had to do much coercing to get you into my bed," she taunted smugly, "If you were honest with yourself, you would admit that you rather enjoyed our brief dalliance."

Enzo set his jaw squarely as he tried not to think about the few times that Cybil had managed to take advantage of him during a brief moment of weakness. Memories of their torrid affair and steamy nights poured through his mind and he felt a shameful twinge inside of his pants. He could remember the feel of her soft skin on his tongue, the sound of their flesh slapping together when she begged him to fuck her roughly, the way his name tore from her lips when she came undone around his throbbing manhood. Being with Cybil had been incredible, but it didn't compare to what it felt like being with Bonnie. When he had been with Cybil, he had been a man desperate, weak and in several different kinds of pain. With Bonnie it was different. He was strong, at peace and a man madly in love. There had been several times that he had considered confessing his dark secret to Bonnie, but he never did because he knew that it would hurt her deeply and that was the last thing that he ever wanted to do.

"What happened between us was a mistake," he managed to say when he found his voice again. Cybil nodded in agreement.

"Yes. I am afraid it was a mistake. I was frustrated with not being able to get Damon to willing be intimate with you that in my frustration, I settled for you. Looks like me and your beloved Bonnie both have something in common.

"Her words felt like a swift kick in the balls and while they hurt like hell, Enzo did his best to mask his emotions. He had always suspected that Bonnie had been a lovelorn witch that had feelings for Damon Salvatore, but he had push those suspicions to the back of his mind after Damon desiccated. The thoughts had completely disappeared after the first time that Bonnie confessed that she was in love with him. Enzo was secured in his role as Bonnie's lover, but there were times where their past made him feel a little left out and insecure.

Seeing that her words was causing Enzo to feel uneasy, Cybil decided to pour more salt into his wound."What's the matter, Enzo?" the siren asked whirling around in her heels and giggling like a schoolgirl, "Truth hurts?"

Enzo chuckled softly before shaking his head with a look of pity on his face.

"You will never have him, darling," he murmured feeling a twisted sense of vindication, "Damon is in love with Elena. His heart will never belong to you."

"That's where you are wrong, Enzo," Cybil spat as she clenched her tiny fingers into a quivering fist,"I am going to have Damon and I won't stop until I pull every memory of everyone he has ever loved from that pretty little head of his.

When I'm done with him, he will know only me, love only me and breathe for no one but me," she promised softly, her brown eyes filled with a mixture of lust and rage.

Enzo was prepared to call her ten different kinds of crazy, but he never had the chance. When he blinked, the sassy siren was long gone.

"Enzo?"

The dark haired vampire turned around and if he was a human, he would have felt his heart skip a beat. Walking in his direction was Damon, Bonnie and Caroline and there appearance was a cause for deep concern. Caroline's foundation and eyeliner was ruined by recently shed tears, Damon's suit jacket was soaked from blood, and Bonnie appeared frazzled and her beautiful dress was ruined. The trio looked as if they had been on the wrong side of a pretty bad fight and Enzo mentally kicked himself for not being around for Bonnie when she clearly needed him. Going into protective mode, he immediately rushed over to Bonnie nearly knocking Caroline and Damon down in the process. As his eyes raked over her, he saw that she wasn't harmed and he felt relief flood through him as he swept her into a tight embrace.

"Enzo! I was looking all over the mansion for you. Are you okay?" Bonnie inquired as she pulled out of his arms and stared up at him curiously.

Enzo cupped her beautiful face inside of his large hands before smiling down at her lovingly. He knew that he should tell her that what happened between him and Cybil. He preferred that things were out in the open and there were no secrets between them, but he couldn't. The thought of seeing pain and betrayal etched into her beautiful face was more than he could bear. How would she ever trust him once she learned what he had been hiding from her for months? How could he bring himself to justify his actions when Damon had been strong enough to resist Cybil's lustful temptation while Enzo had fallen weakly into her thinly veiled trap? The truth would destroy her and Enzo realized that jeopardizing his future and his relationship with Bonnie wasn't a risk that he was willing to take. He decided right then and there that his dirty past with Cybil would be a secret that he would make sure he took to his grave.

"Everything's fine," he said forcing a smile as he planted a kiss on her forehead, "How about you, love? No offense darling, but you look a little worse for wear. Is everything alright?"

Bonnie stared at her boyfriend conflicted. She had every intention on telling him the truth, but she knew that now wasn't the right time to fill him in on the dirty details of what had taken place between her and Stefan. Even though the kiss didn't mean anything to her, she knew that Enzo wouldn't care and would just end up acting ten times worse than Damon and she couldn't afford for that to happen. Not when there was an unstable vampire on the loose, a obsessed siren stalking Damon and the lord of the underworld behind the scenes pulling both of the supernaturals strings. Her grams use to tell her that lying is done with words and also in silence and while the saying left her feeling guilty and miserably, she knew that withholding facts for the sake of peace was necessary. Swallowing back her regret and guilt, she bit down on her bottom lip before lifting her head up to stare at Enzo with a forced smile on her lips."Bonnie?" Enzo inquired arching a dark eyebrow concerned.

"Don't worry," Bonnie murmured echoing Enzo's earlier lie," Everything's fine."

 **AN: I always wondered if there was a sexual relationship between Cybil and Damon and Enzo while they were on their little demented killing spree, so I decided to explore that theory. I know it seems slow, but it will pick up soon. Also on a random note, I found out that Ian Somerhalder will be starring in a vampire series called V-Wars on Netflix. I'm super excited about it. If they bring Kat Graham in on it, I will die. I am serious. My little ticker would just explode from sheer joy. Anyhoo, hope you enjoyed this chapter and if you want, drop a review.**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Sorry for the delay. I spent the past couple of weeks moving into my new house and I wasn't able to sit down and do ANYTHING that I love. Anyhoo...enjoy.**

#

"Say it."

Enzo pressed his lips against the shell of Bonnie's ear while slowly sliding his hand up the back of her shirt.

Bonnie rolled her eyes and bit down on her bottom lip softly. It was bad enough that she was having anxiety in deciding what her next move would be, but what made it worse was that Enzo's interrogation was making Bonnie feel both horny and excited. His soft touch was invoking hot and vulgar reactions between her legs, but she was too proud to allow Enzo to see how his actions were affecting her. Despite the seemingly innocent way he was touching and kissing her, Bonnie knew what he was up to. The suspicious witch knew that the charming vampire was attempting to charm her by luring her into a false sense of security, but Bonnie was far too intelligent to take the bait. Straitening her spine, Bonnie narrowed her moss green eyes as she glared at her lover evenly. Licking her lips deliberately, she smiled deviously and leaned towards him while exposing her breast to him defiantly.

"Make me," she breathed coyly.

"Say it, or I won't give you what you want," the vampire threatened with a dark smile on his lips.

Sighing defeated before throwing her multi colored paper money and handful of multi colored property cards across the board.

"Fine," Bonnie huffed defeated, "You win."

The couple had been playing a very erotic game of Monopoly and while Bonnie had dominated in the first half of the game, Enzo had quickly squashed all hope of her actually becoming the victor.

Feeing petty, Bonnie shoved the board and its pieces off of the table before rolling over on her stomach on the couch where her lace covered ass was prompt up in the air, and her scowling face was shoved in the pillow.

Enzo whistled quietly before leaning in closer to his lover with a charming smirk on his lips.

"When do I get to claim my prize, love?" he inquired huskily as his eyes lowered from her face to her exposed dark pecan colored breasts.

Bonnie tucked a runaway strand of hair securely behind her ear before closing the small amount of distance between them and slanting her mouth over his.

For the past week, Bonnie and Enzo had been having sex that was off the charts. It wasn't like the sex before was bad, but it was like some barrier had been broken down and they had evolved to some next level freaky deaky. Bonnie had even invited Enzo to drink her blood during intercourse and that was something that she had never thought she would let him do. Bonnie would like to think that the change in their sex life had happened naturally due to the healthy progression over their relationship, but deep down she knew that wasn't entirely true. Ever since Stefan had caught her off guard with his passionate kiss, she had been doing everything in her power to get it out of her mind and that included turning the heat up in the bedroom with Enzo. She had hoped that the more kinky she got with Enzo, the less she would feel guilty about being turned on by the kiss that had been forced upon her by the psychotic Ripper, but unfortunately, all of her sexy efforts to erase that hot moment from her mind had failed miserably.

Sensing her mood change, Enzo pulled back and stared at his lover concerned.

"Is something wrong, love?" he murmured.

Bonnie flashed an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. I'm just a little thirsty."

"I can remedy that. Be right back, darling," he smiled pecking her on cheek before getting off the living room floor and disappearing into the kitchen.

Sighing, Bonnie rolled over her stomach and buried her face in her hands. She really needed to stop thinking about that stupid kiss. She was afraid that sooner or later Enzo will catch on to her strange behavior and question her about it. She wasn't some silly naïve girl. She knew that the kiss didn't mean anything. She knew that Stefan was just trying to get inside of her head with his juvenile mind games, but why was it easy for him to succeed in making her completely bothered? Was it because he had bought one of her oldest fantasies to life or was it because he was a Salvatore and it was natural to fall for their charm? The more that she thought about the more her head began to hurt and her guilt began to flare. She didn't need this distraction.

Running her fingers through her wild tresses, she made her way to her feet and headed towards the dresser to retrieve one of Enzo's shirts. There was something about wearing her lover's clothes that made her feel closer to him. Opening the top drawer, she pulled out a black cotton Hanes shirt. She was closing the drawer when something shiny caught her eye. Curiously, she reached down and her forehead knitted with confusion as she noticed that it was the blood necklace that she had returned to him at the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant that had taken place over a week ago.

"Bonnie?"

The woman in question turned around slowly and when Enzo saw what she was holding in her hands, his smile quickly disappeared from his face.

"Is there any particular reason why you are carrying this around?"she asked narrowing her eyes at him warily.

Enzo flashed a guilty smile as he sat her glass of water on the night stand.

"I meant to put in a safe place, but it must have slipped my mind," he apologized before reaching over and taking the necklace out of her possession.

"Why are you even keeping it?" she asked softly, "Do you think that I am going to change my mind about turning?"

"I know that you made it clear that you aren't going to become a vampire to be with me. I understand why you chose to give me the necklace back," Enzo started softly, "I just didn't have the heart to throw it out."

Bonnie's face softened as she saw the sadness flicker briefly across his face.

"Enzo, I love you," she started, but he cut her off with a chaste kiss on the lips.

"Listen, just because you won't turn into an immortal doesn't mean that we can't have the life we both want. I have been doing some thinking lately and there is another way for us to have a future together where we don't have to worry about me out living you," he said huskily as he intertwined his fingers through hers.

Bonnie's forehead scrunched up in confusion.

"I'm afraid I don't understand. How would that be possible if you are a vampire and I remain human?" she asked quietly.

"What if I could can give you the future that you have always wanted?" Enzo said with a loving smile on his handsome face, "What if I took the cure?"

His questions left Bonnie wide eyed and open mouthed. As she stared into his hopeful dark eyes, she knew that the proper response would be excitement and fiery displays of affection, but Bonnie couldn't bring herself to move much less speak. When she had returned Enzo's blood necklace, she had thought that action alone had set their future in stone. She was fine with growing old as a human while Enzo maintained his immortality. It meant that she didn't have to compromise and become a vampire and he didn't have to sacrifice his immortality. Now that he bought up the subject of taking the cure, it meant that Enzo was prepared to give up being immortal which meant that he was committed to spending the rest of his life with her. While most women would swoon at the thought of their man taking such a bold and reaffirming step in their relationship, deep down, Bonnie was both uncertain and terrified.

Growing up, she never had a chance to see what a real committed partnership looked like, she had no clue of what to expect. Her mother abandoned her and her father when she was a young girl, and her grams husband had died before Bonnie was even born. A part of Bonnie was afraid that she didn't have what it took to maintain a successful relationship. Everyone she ever gotten attached to either died or walked away from her. Jeremy Gilbert had been her first true love and when she was young and naïve, she had imagined that he would be the man that she would spend the rest of her life with, but after being imprisoned in the prison world, Jeremy had chose to move on and when Bonnie had managed to find her way back home, she had chose to move on as well.

As she stared at the eager vampire, she couldn't help but feel her stomach churn as she was overcome with her deep rooted insecurities. What would their life be like if they decided to be human together? Would they be the type of couple that defied the odds and actually stayed together until death decided to separated them? Would they make it for twenty plus years before their love fizzled out and for the sake of both of their sanities, they would split up and go their separate ways? Would Enzo wake up one day and resent the fact that he gave up immortality only to find out that she wasn't worth the sacrifice? Would his feelings for her lessen once he became human?

"Bonnie," Enzo pressed gently, "What are you thinking?"

"Are you sure that this is what you want?" Bonnie asked when she finally found her voice again, "You would really give up your immortality?"

Enzo smiled and caressed her right cheek lightly with his fingertips. There was no doubt in his heart that he loved Bonnie Bennett more than anything in the world and he was willing to do anything to be with her. If that meant giving up his immortality and becoming human, Enzo was more than ready to take that step. Taking her hands into his, he stared into her eyes and smiled at her with such tenderness that Bonnie's cheeks began to burn and her mouth became dry.

"Bonnie Bennet, you are the love of my life and every day I spend with you is like a gift given to me by the gods. I am a man who's only desire in this lifetime was to have someone I can call my family. When I look at you, I know deep in my heart and in my soul, that person is you. When all of this is over, I am going to take the cure. We are going to be human together, we are going to have a bunch of little witchy babies and we are going to grow old together. Tell me that is what you want, and I will make it happen," he said huskily.

Bonnie stared at him owlishly feeling completely loss for words.

"I...um...I," she stammered nervously.

Fortunately for the vulnerable vampire and the shell shocked witch, the touching moment was interrupted by her cell phone vibrating.

 _Bon, I need your help. Get your ass over here ASAP._ _Bring medical supplies._

Bonnie rolled her eyes before tossing her phone aside. Even though she cared very deeply for the arrogant vampire, she still found that he could be extremely needy and annoying. She had known Damon for nearly a decade and the bastard still haven't learn how to ask her nicely for a favor. She knew that it wasn't personal and that it was just one of many defects in his personality, but one day soon she was going to curse him out for thinking that she was simply suppose to drop everything and tend to his needs just because he snapped his fingers. She wasn't his mother, his sister, his girlfriend or his nurse. She was his best friend and sometimes he forgot that there friendship consisted of boundaries. It would seem that both Salvatore brothers had an issue with boundaries as far as Bonnie was concerned. The eldest Salvatore brother took liberties with her time and the youngest Salvatore brother took liberties with her lips and both brothers was really beginning to piss her off.

"What's with the sour puss, love?" Enzo asked curiously, "Is something wrong?"

Bonnie sighed heavily. "Damon is having some kind of crisis that apparently requires my attention. _Same shit, different day._

"Well, it looks like we have a couple of options love. We can go rescue Damon from whatever mess he has managed to get himself into or we could finish our conversation about me taking the cure," Enzo suggested smiling.

"There is another option," Bonnie drawled slyly as she propped herself up on her hands and knees giving him a seductive look and licking her lips slowly, "He can wait and we can put our little conversation on the back burner while you claim your prize."

Enzo pounced and tackled Bonnie playfully before pining her against the mattress. The sounds of his growls and her uncontrollable giggles quickly filled the room.

#

 _Meanwhile at the Boarding House.._

Damon stared up at the ceiling of his living room panting heavily as he tried to piece together everything that happened that had led him to his current unfortunate predicament. One minute he had been on the couch drinking blood from a very sexy blonde with a great pair of tits, and the next minute he found himself staring into the face of a very fickle siren. Driven by petty jealousy, Cybil had ripped Damon's poor dinner to pieces before releasing a particularly nasty and violent psychic attacked that had ended up with him being thrown face first his glass coffee table. Satisfied by the amount of pain and chaos she had reaped upon him, the vengeful siren had decided to take what was left of her pride and leave, but not before wedging her stiletto heel in his back as she walked away. As he laid in a pool of glass, blood and splintered wood, Damon begin to think of all the crazy women he had run into during his time being the notorious eternal stud. Yeah, Sybil was bad, an emotionless Elena was cray cray, but Katherine Pierce took home the trophy for being the most psychotic bitch to ever walk into his life. The ways that she had tormented him both physically and emotionally made a cold chill run down his spine. All the hottest chicks were insane in the membrane. That was something Damon tend to forget until it was too late and he found himself wallowing in a world of pain.

"Damon?"

The sound of Bonnie's voice was like music to Damon's ears and he felt a wave of relief wash over him as he silently welcomed his incoming salvation.

He heard the sounds of two pair of feet scurrying in his direction and seconds later, Bonnie and Enzo emerged.

"What took you so long to get over here? I called you like an hour ago," he whined petulantly.

The Bennett witch stopped abruptly as she glanced around the room horrified. The walls was splattered with blood. Several broken bones laid at her feet and patches of flesh was splayed on every piece of furniture in the living room. The room looked like something out of a very twisted horror movie and Bonnie felt her gag reflects begin to mobilize.

"Bloody hell, Damon," Enzo growled kneeling down next to his wounded friend, "You could at least give us a heads up on what we are walking in to."

Damon groaned softly as Bonnie snatched out the heel lodged in his back before Enzo gently rolled him over.

"Hey," he yelped in protest, "You two don't have to be so rough."

"Shut the hell up. I have put you through a lot worse pain and you didn't complain this much," she growled as she grabbed her tweezers and peered into the disgusting gaping hole in his shoulders.

Bonnie griped as she caught one of the splinters with her metal instruments and snatched it out non too gently causing him to howl weakly.

"What the hell happened to you?" she exclaimed in disbelief as she continued to take surveillance of his injury.

"Sybil and I had a bit of disagreement and she took her anger out on me by finding a new resting place for her red bottom heel," he mumbled wincing in pain, "That bitch really can't take no for an answer."

"What did she want from you?" Enzo asked curiously as he and Bonnie helped Damon off of the floor and over to the couch.

"Isn't it obvious? She's obsessed with me, but you can you really blame her? She just wants a piece of the eternal stud and I'm just not interested in being her little bitch boy any longer," he groaned as he settled back on the couch, "Bonnie, will you be a saint and pour me a glass of Bourbon?"

Bonnie narrowed her moss green eyes at the bloodied vampire she was towering over and it took everything inside of her not to jab the tweezers into his open wound. She could usually tolerate Damon and his unbearable lack of manners, but today she was on edge and she was totally not in the mood. Damon was not her man and she certainly wasn't about to stand there and cater to his every need.

"First you expect me to be a nurse and now I'm suppose to be a bartender? At what point in my duties do you say please and thank you?" she scolded with her arms folded across her chest.

Damon rolled his eyes and sighed heavily . He could see Bonnie was more than a little annoyed and while he knew he should tread carefully, he couldn't help but be irritated at her attitude. _He_ was the one who had been violently assaulted, _he_ was the one who had his furniture covered with blood and flesh, so why was _she_ the one being unpleasant?"

"Could you stop with the bitchy attitude? Please and thank you," he sniped, "There, I said it."

He barely had time to flinch as Bonnie hurled the tiny metal instrument at his head.

"Bonnie," he whined pitifully, "Are you really giving me a hard time right now?"

"Did you ever stop to think that I have my own problems? Contrary to popular belief, my world doesn't revolve around you. I'm not the help, I am not your fixer. I am your best friend and you should learn to start treating me like it or else the next time Cybil decides to beat the brakes off your ass, you can call on God because I won't be here to save your narrow ass," she spat viciously before storming out of the room.

Damon watched with wide eyes as she disappeared down the hall and headed towards the kitchen. Frowning, he turned his gaze on to Enzo who was trying his best not to look amused.

"What's up with her?" Damon asked confused.

"She isn't the one with the problem, Damon. It wouldn't kill you to be a little more appreciative towards her. She did drop what she was doing to come and help you after all," Enzo said pointedly as he walked over the wet bar to pour the pouting vampire a drink.

"I just had my ass kick by some psycho bitch who has taken a obsessive interest in my life. I'm sorry if I'm not all sunshine and rainbow. She has known me long enough to know how I am," he grumbled unhappily, "Just because she is turning you into some pathetic sniveling beta male does not mean I plan on following suit."

Enzo arched an dark eyebrow before smirking. "I know you are lashing out because you are hurt so I'm just going to let that slide."

Damon sat up and took the drink Enzo was offering him before he took a large gulp. Hissing softly, he returned back to slouching back into the couch before leveling the other vampire with a piercing gaze.

"Seriously, tho. Bonnie isn't usually so tightly wound. Did something happen between you two?" he asked curiously.

Enzo sighed heavilly. While Damon was the last person he wanted to open up to about his relationship with Bonnie, he knew that he didn't really have much of a choice. While people would classify his relationship with Damon as antagonistic at best, the fellow Augustine vampire would begrudgingly admit that on some level, he and Damon were still friends.

"Before you sent out your SOS to Bonnie, we were having a pretty serious conversation and I think that I might have popped the question prematurely," he said quietly.

The Salvatore vampire eyes widened.

"You asked Bonnie to marry you?" he asked surprised.

"Not exactly. I asked her how she would feel if I decided to take the cure," he said softly.

Damon nearly choked on his Bourbon causing the dark eyed vampire to chuckle lightly.

"Penny for your thoughts, mate?" Enzo pressed as he lazily took a sip of his own Bourbon.

"I'm thinking that's a pretty big step," Damon started slowly, "As a vampire you can protect Bonnie, but as a human, you will be just as vulnerable as she is. Do you think taking the cure would be wise if it means giving up your ability to keep her safe?"

Enzo bit down on his bottom lip softly as a pensive look settled across his handsome face. "I can't say that the thought hadn't cross my mind. The truth is that before I became a vampire, I was at my weakest. The thought of being that vulnerable is terrifying, but not as terrifying as the thought of not being able to grow old with Bonnie. If I take the cure, we can have the one thing that I have always wanted, and that is a family. I want to give her the future she deserves and the cure can make that happen."

When Damon failed to respond, Enzo cleared his throat nervously.

"Damon, I'm not completely self absorbed. I know what taking the cure would mean for you and Elena. I don't want you to see me taking this step as me trying to take away the future you plan with your girl. I plan for Bonnie and I to live to a nice old age and when she pass, I won't be able to see a life without her so I will join her in death. With us both gone, Elena will wake up, you can take the cure from my body and where Bonnie and I story ends, yours and Elena can began," Enzo said quietly, "You are the closest thing that I have to a brother and you are the most important person in Bonnie's life. I would like it if you were on board with my decision. It would mean a lot to the both of us."

Damon felt the air between them become thick with tension. Enzo was basically asking for his blessing and while he knew that giving him his seal of approval would be the right thing to do, he remained silent. He couldn't in good conscience endorse Enzo moving forward with becoming human when he knew that meant him taking Bonnie and leaving Mystic Falls to build a life somewhere outside of Mystic Falls.

Enzo wanted to take the cure and Bonnie was okay with it? Damon thought that when the couple had moved in together, things between them was somewhat serious. Hearing the news about Enzo being eager to give up his immortality so he can be human was taking things to a more permeant level. That meant that Enzo was absolutely certain that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Bonnie. That meant they would be able to get married, start a family and live the American dream. The dream that Damon had desperately wanted with Elena and that didn't sit too well with him. He wanted to be happy for Bonnie, but not at the cost of his future with the woman that he loved. Damon knew that in order to preserve his friendship with Bonnie and get what he wanted, he would have to find a way to convince Enzo that he was making a mistake without Bonnie thinking that Damon was actively trying to sabotage her relationship. Deep down he knew that he was being a selfish prick. There were a lot of things that Damon was willing to give up for Bonnie, but the cure was where he drew the line.

Fortunately, the awkward moment between the two vampires was interrupted when Bonnie breezed back into the living room. Walking over to Damon, she dropped four blood bags into his lap. She could barely contain her smile as he stared up at her startled.

"I may be mad at you, and you can be a jerk but what kind of best friend would I be to let you suffer?" she sighed.

"Thank you, Bonnie," he said sincerly catching her off guard.

"Wow. You are actually showing gratitude? Sybil must have really done a number on you," she joked flatly.

Damon narrowed his eyes at Bonnie trying his best to conceal his annoyance. Here he was trying to be more considerate towards her, but she was too busy emptying out her bag of snark to notice that he was actually making an effort.

"Well maybe," he gritted through his teeth as he slowly rose from the couch, "I'm just trying to show you that I am grateful that you are such a good friend to me. Even when I don't deserve it."

Bonnie stared at him strangely.

She was so use to Damon being a dick that when he actually showed appreciation and sincerity, it always took her by surprise. She had a sneaky suspicion that his sudden change of attitude had everything to do with Enzo. Turning to look at her vampire boyfriend, she found him standing to the side looking innocent with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Well, thanks for saying that. It's nice to hear that I am appreciated," she mumbled awkwardly.

Damon flashed his boyish grin before turning to Enzo.

"Well, I have furniture and a body to get rid of and a living room to scrub clean. You two care to help a brother out?" he offered wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Bonnie rolled her eyes amused.

"As much as I would like to help, I'm late meeting Matt for dinner," she informed rising from the couch and grabbing her car keys off of the table.

Damon snorted rudely.

"Really? You are ditching your boyfriend and the eternal stud to break bread with the quarterback?" he asked with a look of disapproval on his face.

"Believe it or not, you and Enzo aren't the only men in my life that I make time for," she said saucily.

Damon made a face while Enzo chuckled amused. Leaning down he placed a quick peck on the corner of her lips.

"See you later, love," he murmured lovingly.

Bonnie blushed and went to walk away when Damon blocked her path with a devious look on his pale face.

"Don't leave me hanging, Bon Bon,"Damon grinned before puckering his lips.

"I won't. Let me bend over first," she purred flipping her hair over her shoulder before breezing out of the house.

Damon scrunched up his nose unhappily as he stared at the retreating Bennett witch. "Rude."

"Don't worry mate," Enzo chuckled and shook his head before clapping Damon on the shoulder firmly. "It won't be long before I take her off your hands."

 _We will see about that,_ Damon thought darkly before heading into the kitchen to get cleaning supplies.

 **End Note: Sorry for the mistakes.**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Okay, a couple of things I feel I should point out. I changed the summary, because I decided to go a different way with the plot BUT this is still a Stefonnie/Bamon story. I would like to remind you guys that this is a slow burn, so all the hot action is going to take a little while. It will be worth it. Trust me. Shout out to Jack Daniels for sponsoring this chapter and keeping me up to four in the morning to get this done. I hope you guys are still sticking with it because I'm pretty excited about it. Thanks for the reviews. Enjoy!**

#

"Ouch!" Lizzie cried rubbing her head, "Josie...that hurts!"

Caroline's cornflower blue eyes abandoned the nerve wrecking page of the Dean Koontz book that she was reading and zeroed in on her twin daughters who were busy bickering angrily with each other. It was a beautiful Tuesday afternoon and the blonde vampire thought that if she took her beautiful daughter's to the park things would be relaxing and peaceful, but so far, that hasn't been the case. While she enjoyed being a mother, there were days that the two Gemini twins made her want to pull her hair out. One minute her precious daughters were playing quietly and being adorable with each other, and the next minute, they were running around giving each other mini aneurisms and trying to set each other's pants on fire. Alaric told her that it was just a phase but Caroline wasn't so sure. As they matured, their magic grew as well and Caroline noticed that it was starting to affect their personalities. While Lizzie was quiet and predictable, Josie was wild and mean spirited. Watching as the two girls squared off, Caroline knew that she had to step in before the train went off the rails.

"I'm going to count down to one," Caroline warned before slowly rising to her feet, "If you two don't play nice, we all can pack it up and go home right now."

The eldest twin pouted before dropping the fist full of sand clutched in her tiny hands on the ground. Folding her arms across her chest, she slowly turned and faced the blonde vampire with annoyed look on her face.

"It's not my fault! She started it!" Josie complained unhappily.

Lizzie face darkened with outrage.

"No I didn't," she scowled, "She did!"

Wham! Caroline slammed her magazine down on the bench before shooting to her feet and stomping over to her daughters who had the good sense to look remorseful.

"I don't care who started it. If you two don't start behaving, I will be the one to finish it. You either be kind to one another, or I will ground you both for a week! Do I make myself clear?" Caroline warned sternly.

"Yes ma'am," Josie and Lizzie mumbled lowering their gazes in shame.

Caroline bit her bottom lip softly feeling guilty. She hated having to take a firm stance with them, but she knew that it was necessary in order to be a good mother.

"Listen, I don't want to be the mean mommy, but I need you both to know that it's not okay for the two of you to fight each other. You are sister's and you are suppose to look out for one another. We are family and family means we look out for each other. We have each other's backs, got it?" she insisted.

They nodded simultaneously. "Got it."

"Good girls," Caroline murmured kissing them both on the forehead, "Now go and play."

As Josie and Lizzie ran off towards the jungle gym hand in hand, Caroline felt her cold dead heart swell with joy. It always made her feel victorious whenever she was able to moderate peace between her two baby girls.

"Motherhood looks really sexy on you, Caroline."

Caroline felt her blood run cold as she recognized the sinister presence standing behind her. Turning around slowly, she felt her whole body become tense as she came face to face with Stefan Salvatore. He was wearing dark denim jeans and a figure hugging black cotton shirt and a demented smile.

"Stalking me while I'm at a playground with my daughter's. That's not creepy at all," she said coldly as she crossed her arms across her chest.

Stefan grinned vapidly.

"Most women would be flattered that I would bother to take time out of my busy schedule to pay them a visit," the Salvatore vampire protested, "Instead of scolding me, you should be thanking me."

"I don't know what you think you are doing here, but you need to turn around and leave," Caroline warned dangerously, "Now!"

Stefan ignored her thinly veiled threat and sat beside her on the park bench.

"It's funny how time flies," Stefan murmered as he watched the Gemeni twins play with a fond smile on his lips, "I can't help but notice that they look more like thier biological mother with each passing day."

His less than subtle verbal jab caused Caroline to tense, but she had too much pride to allow Stefan to see how much his statement had affected her. The blonde vampire knew that whenever Stefan was struggling with his humanity, he could be a cold and ruthless bastard. In the past she would do whatever it took to bring him back from the edge of darkness, but now that she had daughters and a family to worry about, she realize that she could no longer just drop everything so she could become Stefan's savior. No matter how much she loved him, she knew that there were times where he would have to save himself, and unfortunately, this was one of those times.

"Stefan, the last time we were together, I made it perfectly clear that I do not want to have anything to do you," she started, "So why don't you make like your humanity switch and fuck off?"

Stefan chuckled softly.

"Such dirty language, Caroline. I would hate for you to set such a poor example for those impressionable daughters of yours," he tsked disapprovingly.

Caroline shifted her body slightly so that she was staring Stefan dead in the eye.

"I broke up with you. We are not together. How are you having trouble comprehending that?" she snarled angrily.

Stefan threw his hands in the air in mock surrender.

"Oh, I get it. You made that perfectly clear that we were over when you threw my ring in my face and told me to go to hell," he said calmly.

"Yet here you are," Caroline snipped irritated as she folded her arms across her petite chest.

"I'm here because I need a favor," he started.

"Seriously Stefan? You really expect me to do you a favor? Let's take a moment and recap. You showed up at the Miss Mystic Falls Pagenat that I organized and caused chaos. You assaulted Damon with a clothes hanger not to mention that you crossed a major line when you forced your blood down Bonnie's throat," she said ticking off his list of crimes on her slender fingers with an annoyed look on her face.

 _My blood isn't the only thing that was down her throat that day,_ Stefan mused.

Thinking back on the kiss that he had brazenly stolen from Bonnie, the vampire felt his smile turn into a self satisfied smirk. He knew that if she had her magic, she would have probably set his ass on fire but even then, that flames he would have felt from her wrath wouldn't have been as hot as that lips had been soft and tasted like a mixture of blood and champagne and he had regretted not allowing himself to indulge longer than he had. What had surprised him was the fact that she didn't immediately pull away. Instead, she had allowed him to explore her mouth with his eager tongue and the moan that he had provoked from her hadn't been of disgust or fear. He recalled how her mint green eyes had glossed over and how she had subconsciously licked her lips when the kiss had ended prematurely. The little witch had actually liked it which had made his ego swell ever so slightly.

Biting down on his lower lip softly, Stefan allowed himself a brief moment to fantasize about what could have happened if Bonnie hadn't pushed him away. In his mind, he would have pushed her up against the wall and tore off what was left of her ruined dress so that her beautiful, lithe body would have been exposed to his hungry gaze. Naturally, the little witch would have protested vehemently, but he would have put a stop to all of that by taking her panties off with his teeth before slipping his tongue into her hot dripping core. Swallowing a quiet moan, he felt a twitch in his lower extremities as he thought about her nails scraping against his scalp as she held his head firmly pressed against her woman hood as she begged him desperately not to stop. After he had driven her to the point of red hot desire, he would have stolen yet another heated kiss before bending her over the nearest flat surface and fucked her. While she was squirming and moaning and working through her orgasm, he would wait for the right moment before plunging his fangs into her neck and bleeding her dry. The entire time, his pathetic brother would have no choice but to watch as Stefan gave Bonnie extreme pleasure before cutting her life short.

Stefan was so lost in thought that he didn't realize that Caroline was still talking untill she snapped her fingers inches away from his face.

"Stefan!"

The Ripper's bluish eyes flew open and he forced a smile as he found Caroline glaring at him annoyed.

"Sorry," he apologized clearing his throat and flashing his teeth in an attempt to look innocent and harmless. Apart of him was irritated that the blonde vampire had interrupted his fantasy, but a part of him was relieved. There was no point of day dreaming about something that was never going to happen. Bonnie was too loyal, and Stefan was too demented for her to even consider dropping her panties for him.

"I was distracted," he explained as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Caroline stared at him warily before a light blush filled her cheeks.

"Please tell me that you didn't interrupt my precious time with my kids so that you could have a chance to flirt me. Believe it or not Stefan, not everything could be forgiven just because you bat your eyes and lick your lips. Until you become the man that I know, respect and love, I'm done. I'm interested in investing in you emotionally or physically," she said seriously.

Stefan stared at her blankly before bursting out into laughter. He was always aware at how self absorb Caroline could be at times, but it was really incredible to watch her think that the world resolved around her and that it was impossible that he could possibly be thinking about anyone but her. He was tempted to let her in on his previous train of thought, but he knew that his pettiness would only come back to bite him in the ass in the long run. It was obvious that when Bonnie told Caroline about her run in with Stefan, she left out the part where he had kissed her. Stefan knew that by telling Caroline, the blonde would demand to know why Bonnie kept it a secret and Bonnie would resent him for throwing her under the bus and any chance he had of cornering her and kissing her again would go right out the window.

Clearing his throat, Stefan put on a straight face.

"You are right, Caroline. After what I did, I have no right to sit here and expect anything from you. You have every right to want to keep your distance from me," he said softly, "I just need you to know that the favor isn't for me. It's for a mutual acquaintance of ours."

Caroline arched a blonde eyebrow curiously.

"What acquaintence?" she asked warilly.

"Bonnie," he said somberly.

At the mention of her life long friend, Caroline immediatly became concern.

"What's wrong?" she demanded, her voice becoming extremely pitchy, "Is she in trouble?"

"It's too soon to say. All I know is that you should keep a closer eye on her. Last time we spoke, she made it seem that she was going to somehow try to save me from myself and from Cade, and I don't think I need to explain to you why that's not only foolish, but extremely dangerous," Stefan said curtly as he took off his sunglasses and perched them on top of his head.

Caroline frowned as she stared into her ex fiance's piercing eyes. Just when she thought Stefan could no longer surprise her, he shows up randomly appearing to give a damn about Bonnie's well being. While a part of her was desperate to give him the benefit of doubt and fan the flames of hope dancing inside of her at the possibility of seeing a glimmer of the man she fell in love with, the more practical side of her remained cynical. She knew that this act of concern was more likely a ploy in whatever sadistic game he was planning.

"So what do you expect me to do? Tell her to write you off and expect her to listen? We both know that she cares too much about Damon, so why on Earth would she give up trying to save his brother?" she asked stiffly.

Hearing Damon's name caused Stefan to scowl deeply.

"Wait. Please tell me that you didn't think Bonnie is ready to tangle with the devil for your soul because she actually gives a damn about you. You think Bonnie is ready to risk it all because she values you as a friend?" Caroline inquired with faux sympathy in her voice, "She is doing it because saving you means Damon will be happy and we both know that Bonnie would move heaven and earth for that arrogant prick."

Stefan bristled and Caroline could see that she was starting to get under his skin.

"Say what you want, Caroline, but at least Bonnie isn't like you or Elena. She doesn't give up on people and move on when they fail to meet her impossibly high standards," he snarled.

Caroline laughed humorlessly.

"Give me a break, Stefan. You can tell yourself whatever it takes to make you sleep better at night, but we both know the truth. You can't create all of this chaos around you and play victim. You see yourself as the victim, and for some god awful reason Bonnie thinks that she can save you, but in the end, she will become like me and Elena. She will see that you are a monster who destroys everything and everyone around you and when she has had enough of being constantly let down and disappointed by you, she will give up on you," she said coldly, "You are going to wake up one day and find that everyone has moved on and left you behind and you will have no one left to blame but yourself."

Stefan right eye twiched in response but he remained stoic and silence. He had too much pride to allow Caroline to see how much his words had affected him.

"Why did you really come here, Stefan?" Caroline asked wearilly as she turned away from him, "We both know that you don't care about anyone but yourself. If you are really concerned about Bonnie, then perhaps you should do her and the world a favor and stay away from her. Taking advantage of her savior complex so that you could feel like you worth saving is both pathetic and desperate."

Stefan grabbed Caroline's wrist and violently yanked her into his arms and lowered his face towards hers dangerously. "You may see me as pathetic and desperate, but you also forget that I'm very dangerous. Today I may feel the need to look out for the little witch, and tomorrow, I could just as easily decide to wake up, bleed her dry and have her broken body delivered to your front door piece by piece. What do you think, Caroline? Do you think it's wise to blindly provoke me knowing all of the terrible things that I am capable of?"

His threat made Caroline eyes widen with horror. Starring at the vicious vampire glaring down at her murderously, it was hard to believe that she had fallen in love with someone who had ice water running through his veins. Anyone who could stand there and threaten one of her best friends without batting a single eyelash was a man that she couldn't see herself having a future with and the thought of living a life with Stefan in it broke her heart and made tears burn the corners of her eyes. Not wanting to let him see her cry, she jerked her arm out of his grip before leveling him with a stare that was deadly.

"I'm going to tell you this one time only. Stay away from me. Stay away from my kids and stay away from Bonnie," Caroline warned him coldly with her index finger poking him in the center of his chest, "Come near any of us again, and I will take you down."

Stefan stared at the blonde with an mocking smile on his lips that caused his ex fiancé's scowl to deepen.

"Don't worry, Caroline. I'll keep my distance for now on. Now that I'm no longer in the coffin of pending matromony, I will have plenty of enjoyable ways to spend my nights," he taunted with a michevious gleam in his eyes.

Caroline's face twisted in disgust.

"You really are a bastard, Stefan."

"I know, but you always knew that and fell in love with me anyways, so what does that say about you?" he grinned wickedly.

Before she could respond, Stefan walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist securely before resting his chin on her shoulder casually.

"I'm not going to take up anymore of your time," he murmered as he pressed his lips against the shell of her right ear, "Tell the rugrats that Uncle Stefan says hi."

Caroline whirled around to give her ex fiance a piece of her mind but was annoyed to find that he was nowhere to be found. The fact that Stefan could be cold and cruel one minute and warm and affectionate the next made her head spin and her stomach turn. He was extremely dangerous when he was unstable, and the thought of Bonnie being caught in her ex lover's cross hair made her very uneasy. She made a mental note to call Bonnie later and warn her to keep her distance from Stefan. She had lost Bonnie more times than she cared to think about. The thought of losing her again and at the hands of the man she was still in love made her physically ill.

Not wanting to dwell on her dark thoughts any longer, she turned her attention back to her daughters playing peacefully in the park.

."Josie! Lizzie! It's time to go," Caroline announced loudly before turning and gathering the juice boxes and fruit roll ups and stuffing them back into the over sized purse hanging off her right shoulder.

Hearing the sound of giggling and chatter, the blonde vampire lifted her head and watched as the two energetic twins skipped towars her hand in hand. Thier chestnut brown pigtails was dancing in the air, and thier faces were flushed from laughter and physical exhersion. As they drew closer to her, they slowed down thier acceleration and wrapped thier petite arms around her legs.

"Mommy, can we play a little while longer?" Josie pleaded sweetly as she adorned her puppy dog eyes.

"Actually I have a better idea," Caroline said flashing her brightest smile, "It's getting late. Why don't we go home and get some ice cream?"

#

The sound Ed Sheeran crooning greeted Bonnie's ears as she opened the door and crossed over the threshold into Mystic Fall's Grille. Looking around the eatery, she wasn't surprised to find the place half empty. It was an early evening on a Thursday afternoon. The only people who were in the establishment were a couple of regular drinkers occupying seats at the bar, servers on their break and Matt Donovan who was seated in a booth near the pool table. He was in his uniform and talking on the phone with an amused expression on his face. Running her fingers through her hair, she quickly made her way over to his table and slid down into the booth across from him. He greeted her with a warm smile and after a few more seconds he ended his phone call.

"Sorry I'm late. There was an emergency at the Salvatore Boarding House," she sighed as she sat directly across from him.

Matt smiled sardonically.

"Let me guess. Someone decided to put an end to all of our misery and burned down that house of horrors?" he asked slyly.

Bonnie laughed shaking her head. "No such luck I'm afraid. Sybil decided to take out some frustration on Damon and he needed me to patch him up."

"You're a saint. I would have probably left him lying in the pool of his own blood," he muttered.

Bonnie didn't blame Matt for the hostility that he had towards Damon. Matt had tried to maintain civil relationship with the eldest Salvatore over the years, but after Damon had brutally murdered Tyler, Matt had refused to forgive him and begin to fester a deep hatred for the arrogant vampire. Despite the fact that Damon had saved Matt's father's life along with the population within the walls of Mystic Falls, Matt still wasn't anywhere close to forgiving the vampire for all of the many terrible things that he had done over the years.

Sensing that the conversation was heading in a negative direction, Bonnie cleared her throat and decided to change the topic.

"Enough about Damon. How are things going down at the station?" Bonnie asked curiously as she took a sip of her diet coke.

"Things have been relatively quiet. The most exciting thing I had to deal with this week was a property dispute between two petty neighbors," he grinned amused, "It may sound weird, but sometimes I miss the days when I got to run around town with stakes and wooden bullets hunting the latest supernatural badass."

"Take it for someone who is still involved in that world, I would give anything to say that the worst part of my week is dealing with civil torts," she sighed heavily, "Between Stefan running around half cocked and Damon being stalked and tortured by an obsessed siren, I don't even remember what normal feels like."

Matt gave her a sympathetic smile. He was preparing to respond when a waitress approached their table cheerfully.

"Hi, guys. Welcome to Mystic Grill. My name is Caitlyn and I will be your waitress this afternoon. Are you guys ready to order?" she inquired cheerfully..

"I will have the chicken salad and a root beer," Bonnie ordered before closing her menu.

Matt opened his mouth to place his order, but Caitlyn interrupted him abruptly.

"Let me guess. You want a double cheeseburger, well done with all the dressing and no ketchup and a Sprite with no ice," she recited batting her long dark eyelashes at Matt causing Bonnie to grin amused

"Perfect," Matt murmered winking at her.

Caitlyn noticed the inquisitive look on Bonnie's face and cleared her throat softly.

"Sheriff Donovan eats her every other day. It wasn't hard to memorize his order," she explained shyly.

Matt flashed his most professional smile. "Thank you, Caitlyn."

The brunette giggled nervously, before picking up the leather black check book and disappearing behind the bar.

Bonnie bit down on her bottom lip softly to keep from exploding with laughter.

"Bonnie," Matt whined embarrassed.

"She's pretty cute, Matt. Why don't you just bite the bullet and ask her out? We and I both know that it's extremely rare to find someone in this town who is hot, human and normal," Bonnie giggled enjoying how much she was making the former quarter back blush..

"You may not know this, but there are a group of women who are attracted to civil servants. We like to call them badge chasers. Caitlyn is a nice girl, but she has already been with half of the police department and several firefighters," he informed wryly, "I'm looking for something a bit more serious. Anyways, enough about me. What's going on with you?"

Bonnie sighed as a diffrent waitress delivered their drinks to the table before scurrying off to attend to other customers.

"Well...Enzo and I were talking and he asked me how would I feel if he decided to take the cure," she informed casually as she took a sip of her root beer, "I just don't know how to feel about him giving up his immortality just for me. It's a very intense decision and it's one he needs to make without factoring me into it."

"You are the love of his life. Of course he is going to take your relationship into consideration," Matt said patiently.

"I'm just worried that if he takes the cure and for some reason we don't work out, he will regret taking the cure and I don't want him to grow to resent me," Bonnie said quietly.

The conversation was briefly interrupted when Caitlyn returned and placed their meals down in front of them.

"Bonnie, you can't look at things that way," Matt chided gently as he took a bite into his fry,"Yes, we both know from personal experiances that bad things happen. People get put under sleeping spells, people sucumb to their blood addictions...people die. You can't let fear stop you from living your life. Enzo is everything you have ever wanted and he loves you more than anything in the world. He obviously wants a future with you so that you two can move forward and have all the things you use to dream about. Marriage, kids, a real family. You just have to be brave enough to take that next step."

Bonnie stared at him feeling a warmth spread through her heart.

"Have I told you lately how wise you are?" she grinned.

"No, but there's no need to state the obvious," he replied winking at her.

The two sat in a comfortable silence before the sound of the bell at the front door chimed indicating a new customer had entered the establishment. Looking up from his meal, Matt suddenly made a face of displeasure.

"Something wrong?" she inquired stabbing a piece of chicken and lettuce with her fork and sticking it in her mouth.

"Don't look now, but Brody Sharp just walked in," he grumbled rolling his big blue eyes.

The smile that Bonnie had been wearing seconds earlier slowly faded. Brody Sharp was a thirty eight year old car dealership owner who for some inexplicable reason decided to hand over his business to his two sons before running for mayor. She heard things about Brody around town and the things that she had heard wasn't all that great. He was a staunch conservative who went against everything Bonnie stood for socially and politically, and he was the last person she wanted to be in a position of power concerning the town she had spent a good chunk of her life protecting. He had plastered posters with the phrase "Mystic Falls will Rise Again" which really didn't sit too well with her. While he seemed popular with a majority of the town, Bonnie didn't particularly care for him. He came across as entitled, arrogant and a bit of a jackass.

"Last week polls says that he is well on his way to becoming this town's next mayor. It's really going to suck having that guy as a boss," he griped unhappily.

Bonnie smirked.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't have you and your officers turn in your badges and gun for khakis and tiki torches," she said rolling her eyes as she polished off the rest or her soda.

Matt chuckled and threw a fry at her playfully.

"You are so wrong for that,"he said shaking his head.

As Brody made his way to the bar, Matt leaned in towards Bonnie with a conspiratorial twinkle in his eyes.

"I actually heard rumors that he plans on revamping the Founder's Counsel. From what I hear, it's going to be an organization where all of the powerful and wealthy people of this town are able to get together and make decisions regarding us little people," he informed, "Talk about your over glorified snob fest."

Bonnie frowned.

"Or he could be forming it so it can be restored for it's orignal purpose. This town doesn't need a mayor who already has backward views on issues that affects the average person. Can you imagine what he will be like once he starts going after people who are supernatural?" Bonnie murmured worried, "I would hate to see history repeat itself."

Seeing the concern and fear etched in Bonnie's face, Matt reached across the table and squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"Don't worry, Bon. I'm going to keep my ear to the ground and see what I can find out. Just tell our little blood sucking residents to be more careful. The last thing this town needs is a witch hunt," he grumbled before flashing an apologetic smile, "No offense."

Bonnie laughed amused. "None taken."

After paying the check, Bonnie and Matt made their way out of thier resteraunt making small talk as they headed towards their respective vehicles.

As the two friends parted ways, Bonnie s fished her phone from her purse and wasn't surpised to find that she had a missed call.

Hey, darling. I was just calling tell you that Damon and I are finally finished cleaning up at the Boarding House and I'm heading home. I love you and I cannot wait to see you."

Bonnie bit back a smile before pulling her cell phone away from her ear and hitting the red phone icon. Climbing in her car, she stuck the key into the ignition causing the engine to roar to life. As she made her way home, her thoughts begin to drift towards the loving vampire waiting for her arrival. She knew that Enzo was going to bring up taking the cure again, and Bonnie knew that she was going to have to give him an answer. While she was deeply in love with Enzo St. John, a part of her was hesitant whenever the topic of commitment would come up. When it came to relationships, Bonnie didn't have the best track record. In fact, looking back at her history, Bonnie would admit that she was the last person to bet on to have a successful romance. Her first real love Jeremy Gilbert had been an epic failure. She had loved him so hard and deeply only to be rewarded with the cold hard fact that he had still had lingering feelings for his ghost girlfriend despite the fact that he claimed to love Bonnie. Even though she had eventually gotten over the heartbreak and given him another chance, she had learned she was far more invested in making it work than he ever was. He proved as much when he had decided to move on instead of fighting to bring her back when she had been trapped on the other side with Damon. Bonnie had sworn to never invest that much love and loyalty into another man, but her resolve had faded over time as she had grew closer to the last person she ever thought she would care about Damon Salvatore.

Thinking about thier relationship caused a bitter sweet smile to touch her lips. Some would say that she had unrequited feelings for the insanely attractive vampire, but Bonnie always kept those traitorous feelings buried deep down. She was smart enough to know that nothing good would come from adoring a man who only had eyes for Elena Gilbert. However, she found that her feelings for Damon were a lot closer to the surface. When he had looked her in the face and decided that he rather desiccate and unknowingly broke her heart. She had thought that she would never recover from the closest friend she had abandoning her, but than Enzo came along and changed everything. It took awhile, but he had her earned her trust, her loyalty and eventually her heart. Unlike Jeremy and Damon, Enzo never betrayed her and given her a reason not to trust him. He has been everything she has ever dreamed of and she was hesitating moving forward in their relationship because she was scared of her past repeating itself?

In that moment, she made her decision. She was going to stop being afraid and move forward with Enzo. If he was willing to take the cure for her, she was willing to commit to a future with him.

She was turning down the road leading to her neighborhood, when she spotted something peculiar. A white horse was standing on the shoulder of the road and it looked completly out of place. Curious, she pulled her car over and turned the engine off before getting out and approaching it slowly. The closest horse ranch was Mr. Jones place which was on the opposite end of town, which was why Bonnie was both intrigued and baffled by the beasts presence near a residential environment. Most of Mr. Jones horses were older, mix breed and calico, but this horse appeared to be flawless. It's mane was white as snow, it's eyes was inky black and he was easily nine feet tall. He seemed like something that came straight out of an enchanted fairytale.

"Hey, cutie. What are you doing out here all by yourself?" she murmered petting it's face gently, "Whoever owns you must be worried sick that you are gone."

The horse cocked his head as if he was studying Bonnie and processing the words coming out of her mouth.

"It's not safe for you to be on this road," she continued, "Plenty of jack asses come around that corner driving over the speed limit and not paying attention to where they are going."

The horse huffed and snorted causing Bonnie to giggle.

Suddenly the horse turned away from her and slowly galloped into the woods. Bonnie stepped back and gasped loudly as she noticed that the horse had left a trail of fire in its wake burning a mysterious path into the woods.

 _Okay, now that is really weird_ , Bonnie thought to herself as she stared after the retreating horse with her mouth parted slightly. She knew the smart thing to do was to get back into her car and head home. After all, she had watched enough horror movies to know that any mystery that involves the wood would only lead to terror, screams and her untimely murder, but something in her gut told her that walking away wasn't an option. Pushing back her anxiety, she turned and slowly made her way down the burning trail leading deeper into the woods. Above her head, she heard the sounds of a dozen ravens cawing unhappilly as they flew by in a flurry.

 _First a white horse bolts into the woods leaving behind a trail of fire and now a murder of ravens appear out of nowhere. This is beyond creepy_ , Bonnie thought as she stopped walking and looked around the atmosphere nervously. The fire had went out, and the horse was nowhere to be found. Her stomach began to twist in knots and a cold sweat began to break out across her body despite the humidity hanging in the evening air. Realizing that her curiosity was leading her into a bad situation, Bonnie whirled on her heels and was preparing to take off back towards the road when she hit something hard causing her to stumble back.

Bonnie's green eyes widened when she found herself starring up at an attractive black guy dressed in a sharp grey suit and flashing the whitest teeth that she had ever seen in her life. He was over six feet tall and appeared to be in his early thirties. He also had full lower lips, dark brown eyes and wide cheekbones.

"I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth," he thundered with a dark smile on his lips.

Immediatly, Bonnie took a step back as she felt the hair on the back of her arms stand up.

"Who are you?" Bonnie asked warilly.

The mysterious stranger shoved his hands deep in his pockets before taking a stepforward and closing the distance between them. Bonnie breath caught in her throat as she could have sworn she saw flames dancing in the dark reflection of his eyes.

"I go by many different names, but you can call me Cade."

 **End Note: Ahh...shit. I know some of you may be confused about the Founder's Counsel being reintroduce, but trust me. It will serve it's purpose.**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Enjoy. Review. Repeat.**

Bonnie felt her heart hammer against her ribcage violently as she stared at the immortal standing in front of her. She felt like she was the leading lady in a B rated horror flick. Pretty girl gets lured into the woods, pretty girl runs into the king of all demons, pretty girl dies a horrible and gruesome death. She knew that she could try to make a run for it, but knowing her luck, she would probably end up stumbling over some invisible obstacle and Cade would send his hell hounds to drag her down to the fiery pits of hell. Swallowing the huge lump that had formed in her throat, it took great effort on her part to keep from passing out from sheer terror. Why did she let her curiosity get the best of her? Why couldn't she have access to her magic when she needed it the most? Even though Bonnie was a feminist and a proud independent woman, she wouldn't exactly complain if a knight in shining armor swooped down and saved her from this nightmare.

Sensing her intrepidation, Cade flashed a non threatning smile in an failed attempt to put the young woman at ease.

"What's the matter, Miss Bennet? Cat your tongue?" Cade asked amused.

Bonnie swallowed nervously. Great, the devil makes jokes. The truth was that Bonnie had no idea of what to say to the powerful deity. Throughout her short life, she had fantasized about having conversations with all sorts of people in her head. Johnny Depp, Usher, Idris, Scott Foley. Never in a million years did she ever think that she would be having a meet and greet with the original prince of darkness.

"I don't know what I am suppose to say. I didn't exactly plan on running in to you tonight," she mumbled nervously, "Or ever."

"That's perfectly understandable. I've been around long enough to know that I'm the last person any one ever hope to have a run in with," he said grinning.

"Is this the part where you lure me into a false sense of security before condemning my soul to hell?" she asked meekly.

"Relax. I'm not here to cause you any harm. I thought it was time for us to get accquainted with one another," he said casually as he shoved his hands in the deep pockets of his trousers.

"So instead of casually bumping me into a coffee shop where I could have enjoyed a nice mocha latte, you thought it was a great idea to lure me into the creepy dark woods?" she asked stiffly.

"My apologies. I kind of have a flare for the dramatic," he murmured with a smile.

Bonnie tilted her head slightly to the right as she observed him quiet. From the way that Damon had described him, she would have thought Cade would have appeared more dangerous, murderous and evil. Instead the man who was standing in front of her was soft spoken, pleasant and even charming.

"I'm well aware that you are close aquaintences with the Salavtore brothers," he said watching her face carefully, "I was very intrigued to learn that I wasn't the only psychic that they were associating with."

Bonnie shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she tried her best not to look intimidated by the powerful immortal studying her like she was a Chinese puzzle. Bonnie had discovered she was a psychic years ago shortly before she had learned that she was a witch. She had experienced divinization which was the ability that allowed her to connect psychically to events to come in the future seen before hand. She had also developed intuition. She had used that ability to find candles in Elena's kitchen. Later on she had been haunted by three sets of numbers which led her to a crime scene where Damon had brutally murdered Mr. Tanner, a horrid teacher and the high school's football coach. She had slowly begin to accept having these rare abilities, but it was when she begin to have premonitions that she begin to fear her psychic powers. One of the worst premonitions that she had was when she had dreamed that she was trapped inside one of Klaus's coffins and while banging to get out, her mother had opened it. That had led to her meeting her mother, Abby Bennett, for the first time.

"I imagine that you must think my ability is quite insiginificant compare to all the things you are capable of," she said coyly.

"Not at all. To be honest, I must say that I find accomplishments are quite impressive," he said as he circled her like a hawk measuring it's prey, "You first gained your abilities through divinization. Over time, you learned to wield powerful magic and even tapped into Expression briefly. You eventually died, but managed to come back as the Anchor to the Other side which is a rare feat of its own. You have been many things in the amount of time in your short life time. A witch, a human, a ghost, a corpse. I must say I was disappointed to learn that you went through all of that only to end up...ordinary."

Bonnie head snapped up and she stared at him sharply. _Who did this guy think he was commenting on her life like he had any kind of clue? Obviously she knew was the devil, but that didn't give him a right to have such bold opinions about her when she barely knew anything about him._

Cade sighed softly.

"I can sense that I have angered you," he said apologetically, "I truly meant no offense."

"You may think that being a powerful being is something to aspire to, but I don't," she said narrowing her moss green eyes at Cade while planting her hands firmly on her hips, "Being ordinary is far more preferable than being in constant danger because your power is the only thing that stands between your friends and some supernatural disaster."

Cade studied her curiously. He could see why people were drawn into the little witch's orbit. She was fiery and passionate. When she spoke, her words were firm and her tone radiated her conviction. He could see how she had come to develop having a savior complex, but what he didn't understand was why.

"You were never obligated to protect this town or the people in it. In fact, your need to save everyone around you has caused you an immeasurable amount of loss," he pointed out shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his black trousers, "After you sacrificed as much as you did, no one could blame you for leaving this god forsaken town, so why didn't you?"

"I didn't really have a choice. If I didn't use my magic to help protect the people that I care about, they would have died. I couldn't let that happen," she explained defensively.

"You could have, but you couldn't bear the thought of turning your back on your beloved Elena and leaving her to fend for herself, so you took up the mantle and knighted yourself her savior.

"You don't know a damn thing about my relationship with Elena," she snapped angrily.

"Sadly, _girl_ , I know more than you think I do. I know what it's like to govern people who are powerless and in desperate need of saving from themselves. I know what it's like to sacrifice everything you love just to put the needs of others ahead of your own. I know what's it feels like when you have that all thrown back in your face when someone beneath your station stabs you in the back and betray you," he said coldly, "I wasn't always a monster feared by the world, Miss Bennett. Once upon a time, I was someone who served at the pleasure of others and always did the right thing no matter the cost. I was once like you."

Bonnie lips parted as she stared at him in disbelief.

"You and I are nothing alike. You may think you know certain things about me, but you don't really know me and I sure as hell don't know you," she growled.

Cade's jaws clenched as he took a intimidating step towards the trembling Bennett witch.

"Well, then. Allow me to show you who I really am," he said ominously.

The second the last word left his mouth, a roaring orange ring of fire surrounded them.

"What the hell?" she yelped subconciously move closer to Cade in an attempt to avoid being burnt into a crisp.

"Fear not, Miss Bennett. I meant what I said earlier. I truly mean you no harm," he smiled taking a pleased glance at the ring of fire that had formed around them, "I am just showing you that I am capable of being very transparent."

"Your parlor tricks are neat, but I'm pretty sure you can make your point without giving me a taste of hell," Bonnie complained nervously as the flames flickered dangerously close to her.

"My psychic world, which you refer to as 'hell', is filled with with wicked people who have been taken from this world and punished for their deeds. As you may know, the wages of sin is death. Would you care to take a look at some of those who have earned their suffering?" he offered. "I believe you might be interested to see some familiar faces."

As Bonnie stared into the flames, she felt her blood run cold as the air was filled with wails of despair and agony. Looking closer, she could see some of the flames slowly began to morph into faces. She gasped loudly as she recognized one of the faces as a man she had once called a mentor. Atticus Shane. Half of his flesh was burned off his face and he was clawing at his remains while howling in despair. The image was so disturbing that Bonnie felt bile rise in the back of her throat and she forced herself to tear her gaze away from the flame before staring Cade, her moss green eyes wide with horror.

"So if Atticus is burning in hell, that means that he never found peace with his wife and his child," she breathed in disbelief . For some odd reason, the thought left Bonnie feeing sad and somber.

Cade narrowed his eyes and closed the distance between him and the empathetic witch.

"Atticus was wicked because he allowed his own selfish desires cause the death of countless of people and he unleashed a terrible plague on to this world. Atticus was the direct cause of Silas terrorizing you and the people you call friends," he reminded pointedly, "A man like that doesn't deserve to find peace. He deserved to be punished."

"I know that he did terrible things, but deep down, I don't think he was wicked. I just think that his grief blinded him and he lost sight of who he truly was," she protested.

Cade sighed and a look of annoyance and frustration flashed across his dark face.

"You have the potiential to be a very powerful woman, but it's your empathy and your inability to cut ties with the wicked that makes you weak," he said through clenched teeth, "It will be your downfall."

"Having faith in people is not a weakness. It's actually a strength. If people were to go through life thinking everyone who has ever made a mistake is not capable of redemption, this world would be a very cold and lonely place," she argued heatedly.

"Oh really? Is that why you lured Malachi Parker into that frozen tundra of a prison world under the false guise of needing his assistance only to literally and figuratively stab him in the back?" he asked curtly, "You can stand their feeling judgmental while you cling to your misplaced self righteousness, but the truth is that the only people that you grant redemption to are those who you are connected to through Elena."

Bonnie fell silent when she realized that she couldn't argue with him. Cade did have a point. Damon and Stefan had committed countless of wrongs against her and even though she would stay mad at them for a long period of time, she always found some reason to forgive them and allow them to draw her back into their orbit of craziness. Most people would have been chucked the deuces and walked away from the Salvatore vampires after they had indirectly caused the death of her grams, murdered countless of innocent people in Elena's name, turned her mother, threatened her with violence, desiccated for three years, but yet here she was standing in front of Satan himself struggling to find a reason why she refused to forsake the men who didn't really deserve her loyalty.

Not wanting to face her hypocrisy,Bonnie sighed wearily and shook her head before returning her gaze back to Cade. "What is it that you want from me?"

"I came to you tonight because I wanted to acquaint myself with you. In the upcoming days, you are going to need my assistance and I thought that maybe you would be more comfortable coming to me for aid if you and I were on speaking terms," he said quietly.

 _What did this powerful psychic know about her future? What was going to happen that was so awful that it would make her resort seeking out the devil for help?_

Cade smiled briefly as he clearly heard the frantic questions racing through the young woman's mind.

"You will get an answer to all of your questions in due time, Miss Bennett. For now I will just leave you with this little piece of advice. I know that you think that the people who you surround yourself with you is loyal and devoted to you, but don't be fooled. History have shown that the most righteous of people are capable of being destroyed and betrayed by those closest to them," he warned, "When you discover this to be truth, you will seek me out and ask me for my help and I must warn you that the price of my aid requires great sacrifice."

His statement left Bonnie shivering despite the fact she was practically standing in the center of a raging inferno.

"Take care Miss Bennett. I look forward to seeing you again soon," he said cryptically as he nodded slightly in her direction.

Bonnie felt her mouth grow dry as she watched as he casually strolled through the roaring flames before disappearing.

#

 **Living easy, living free**

 **Season ticket on a one-way ride**

 **Asking nothing, leave me be**

 **Taking everything in my stride**

 **Don't need reason, don't need rhyme**

 **Ain't nothing I would rather do**

 **Going down, party time**

 **My friends are gonna be there too**

Stefan hummed the lyrics to AC/DC as Highway to Hell blared from his car radio. He drummed his fingertips on the steering wheel as he defied the speed limits and flew down the highway. The night air was blowing through his window and the moon was rising above the trees casting a haunting glow on the empty road ahead of him. The sound of metal rattling against plastic drew his attention and he looked down to see Caroline's engagement ring rolling around in the cup holder. Smirking, he reach down and grabbed the piece of jewelry and examined it briefly. After seeing Caroline earlier that day, he realized that whatever could have been between them was nothing more than a bitter sweet memory. Caroline wasn't going to come back to him until he became the man that she wanted him to be and Stefan simply wasn't interested in being that guy anymore. That guy was weak, a pushover, and a fool who was guided by the foolish notion of eternal love and happiness. Stefan had come to realize that men like himself who was prone to murder and chaos wasn't meant to have the white picket fence and the bright eyed happy wife. Men like him were meant for a life of solitude and loneliness.

Taking one last glance at the ring, he tossed it out of the window without giving it another thought.

 **I'm on the highway to hell**

 **On the highway to hell**

 **Highway to hell**

 **I'm on the highway to hell**

As he cruised around the curve in the road leading into Mystic Fall's suburbs, he arched an blonde eyebrow curiously as he spotted a familiar vehicle parked on the shoulder of the road. As he drew closer, he frowned as he recognized it as Bonnie's 2015 Black Prius. Curious, he decelerated before pulling his 1963 Porshe 356B Karmann Coupe behind her car and shifted into park. Killing the engine, he got out and closed the driver's door before moving slowly towards her vehicle. Looking inside, he was puzzled to find that the car was empty and Bonnie was nowhere to be seen. Several questions began to run through his head. Why was Bonnie's car abandoned and where the hell was she? His eyes traveled to a patch of disturbed grass of dirt leading into the woods and his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

What has Bonnie gotten herself into now, he wondered wryly as he moved closer to the side of the road to investigate futher. He recoiled as he detected scent of sulfur lingering in the air. Walking towards the back of her vehicle, he felt his eyes narrow as he noticed a scorched path leading deep into the woods. Sulfur and traces of fire only meant one thing.

Cade.

Without wasting another second, Stefan sped off into the woods keeping his eyes peeled and his ear perked for any clues that would lead him in her direction. Five minutes later, he came to a stop when he spotted an orangish glow a mile to the East. Rushing off in that direction, he slowed to a stun jog as he approached the incredible scene. There was a ring of fire in the middle of several large oak trees and he spotted deers, rabbit, owls and other wildlife frantically trying to get to safety. Moving cautiously towards the fire, his eyes widened as he realized Bonnie was stuck at the epicenter with a lost and petrified look on her face.

In that moment, Stefan was slammed with a sense of deju vu. The last time he had found her in this predicument had been when Emily had hijacked her body to destroy the necklace that Damon had been desperate to regain back into his possession. In order to protect herself, the novice witch had caged herself in the middle of a raging inferno in an attempt to keep Damon from trying to get to her. As he stared at the picture in front of him, Stefan was confused. Had she created the ring of fire as a defense mechanism to protect her from Cade? What the hell was she even doing in the middle of the woods in the first place and where was Cade? Despite all the questions running through the front of Stefan's mind, he knew he would have to find an answer to them later. Right now, Bonnie was in danger and he needed to find a way to help her.

As he slowly moved closer to the fire, Bonnie spotted him and her mouth flew open.

"Stefan," she cried out confused, "What are you doing here?"

"Call me crazy, but I don't think that is important right now," he growled as he snatched off his leather jacket, "You need to get out of there right now. If you don't the smoke will suffocate you and you will die."

She shook her head, her moss green eyes wide with terror.

"I can't. The fire...it's too hot. I won't make it," she wailed hysterically.

"Stop panicking and look at me," he commanded firmly.

Their eyes met through the roaring flames and Bonnie bit her lip to keep from bursting into sobs.

"Look at this spot. Look at where we are. Do you remember the last time you and I were here together?" he asked calmly.

Bonnie seemed to look confused before her eyes widened noticably. She had been too caught up with her conversation with Cade to notice that they were in the exact same spot where Emily had possessed her and destroyed the necklace Damon had wanted to use to free Katherine. That night was one she would never forget because it was the night when Damon had almost killed her.

"Yes," she stammered tearfully.

"I didn't let you die then and I'm not going to let you die now. I know that you don't want to trust me, but you only have two choices right now. You can stay there and burn to death, or you can walk through fire and trust that I won't let anything happen to you," he said sternly.

He could see that she was hesitating and the fire was quickly raging out of control. Suddenly a tree limb from a nearby burning tree fell into the circle of fire narrowly missing Bonnie's head and causing her to shriek in terror.

"Bonnie, move your ass!" Stefan roared loudly over the flames. Not needing to be told a third time, Bonnie squeezed her eyes shut before running full speed towards Stefan. As she passed through the wall of flames, Stefan wasted no time in wrapping her inside of his jacket and throwing her to the ground and roughly patting out the flames that had taken hold to her shirt and pants. Her flailing was so violent and unpredictable that Bonnie unintentionally threw Stefan off balance and their limbs tangled as they went rolling across the ground clumsily. Stefan did his best to try to shield her from being crushed against the ground and his hard body, but the several moans of discomfort that manage to escape Bonnie's lips revealed that Stefan's efforts weren't exactly successful. When they came to a stopping point, Bonnie was sprawled out awkwardly on top of him and he unfortunately was lying on top of a very sharp and jagged rock that felt like a knife to his lower back. He could feel her warm breath graze against his cheek and tickle his ear as she panted trying to catch her breath from having the wind knocked out of her. Moving gingerly, she pressed her hands against Stefan's taunt chest and slowly lifted herself into a sitting position on top of him .

As she examined the patches of her skin left exposed by the fabric that had been burnt off, her eyes went wide with surprise. There wasn't a single burn mark on her flesh or singed hair on her head. She had literally walked through fire and come out untouched. Either their was some hidden lesson in her trial by fire, or Cade was going out of his way to prove that he meant her no harm. Either way, the whole entire mess left Bonnie shaky and exhausted and she began to sway back and forth dangerously. Subconsciously, Stefan lifted his hands and found a resting place on her slender hips and steadied her.

"Are you alright?" he asked his voice rough and low pitch.

"Not really, but at least I'm not extra crispy," she mumbled causing Stefan to smirk.

Feeling her adrenaline began to crash, she dug the heels of her palms into her eye sockets and stifled the urge to scream in frustration. She didn't want to be at the epicenter of supernatural drama. She didn't want to be on speaking terms with Cade and she sure didn't want to be stuck in the woods alone with the infamous Ripper. Why was it so hard for the universe to cut her some slack and allow her to have a little piece of normal? Why?!

"Bonnie," Stefan mumbled breaking her train of thoughts.

"Yeah?" she replied shakily.

"You're still on top of me," he pointed out smirking.

Bonnie stared down at him owlishly. Looking down at the smug vampire who had dirt in his hair, and amusement in his forest green eyes, she suddenly became painfully aware of their closeness and the fact that she was straddling him. She didn't know if it was deliberate or not, but when he slowly licked his bottom lip while staring her dead in the eye, Bonnie felt a jolt shoot down her spine and she immediately became flustered. She knew how to deal with brooding Stefan, jerk Stefan and even murderous Stefan, but when it came to overly flirtatious Stefan, Bonnie felt like she couldn't cope.

Feeling flustered, she rolled off top of him and slowly made her way to her feet. Stefan chuckled deeply before returning to a vertical position next to the blushing witch.

"Why did you come out here by yourself in the first place? You do realize that tracking through dark uncharted woods alone is how a lot of people in this town end up dead, right?" he reminded frowning deeply.

Bonnie stared down at her feet feeling she was a child being scolded by a disappointed parent.

Would you believe me if I told you that I was just following a fire breathing horse?" she asked in a timid voice.

Stefan stared down at her trying to keep a serious face, but a brief smile touched his was one of the most formidable, smartest women that he knew, and yet deep down, there was still that young girl that couldn't resist chasing after a good mystery. It was something that he found both adorable and exasperating.

"Come on. Let's get you home before you get any bright ideas about chasing after rainbow unicorns," he said sarcastically earning him a dirty look from the blushing witch.

"You're making fun of me,"she said accusingly.

"No shit, Sherlock," he retorted grinning.

Determined to give the smirking vampire the silent treatment, she took a step back and felt her knees buckle as her ankle hit a root sticking out from a nearby tree. Using his supernatural reflexes, Stefan reached out and grabbed her by the hand and helped steady her so that she wouldn't fall.

She went to remove her hand from his and was annoyed when he wouldn't release her from his hold.

"What the hell do you think you are doing? Let go," she protested flustered.

"Relax, Bennett. I'm not offering you my hand because I want to take a romantic stroll with you. I am just trying to get you out of the woods without you twisting an ankle," he explained patiently.

She couldn't help but notice that despite Stefan having the tendency to look hard in all the right places, his hands were incredibly soft. She tried not to blush as she reluctantly let the smirking vampire lead her out of the woods and back to where she had recklessly abandoned her car on the side of the road.

 _My night went from having a terrifying encounter with Satan, to holding hands in the woods with Stefan Salvatore_. It was safe to say that at that moment in time, Bonnie Bennett was not a happy camper."

"So you and Cade?" Stefan started innocently, "I didn't know you had a thing for the tall, dark and demonic."

Bonnie scowled deeply.

"It's not like that! He just wanted to meet me. Apparently, the universe thinks I have time to entertain Silas 2.0," she said with a faux sweet smile on her lips.

Stefan bit back a smile as he realize that Bonnie had a point. She did tend to be a magnet that attracted immortals who wound up being creepy and psychic.

"I know this should go without saying, but I'm going to say it anyways. You should stay away from Cade. If he is interested in you, it's because he wants something and that is never a good thing," he warned somberly.

"I can take care of myself, Stefan. You should just worry about not being a sociopathic serial killer, and I am going to focus on trying to get you and Damon out of this mess. The only reason why Cade is interested in me in the first place is because of you and Damon. Thanks for that by the way," she griped unhappily as she continued to make her way through the woods, unknowingly stomping out a trail of innocent flowers that had the misfortune of being in her path.

Stefan glanced over his shoulder and leveled her with a pointed glare.

"You know you wouldn't be in the mess if you didn't insist on trying to save everyone you cross paths with," he grumbled.

"I guess I'm just not the type to watch as my friends are being condemn to eternal damnation," she said dryly.

"I'm glad that you are finally coming around to seeing me as your friend," he said as he casually reclaimed her hand inside of his once more, "It really makes me feel so alive."

She knew that he was just being facetious and trying to get a reaction out of her and she had too much pride to give him the satisfaction.. Bonnie tensed, but didn't pull her hand away.

"Don't go throwing a parade or anything. Anyone who has been in my life the past ten years and haven't manage to die is someone I consider a friend," she said waspishly, "You aren't that special."

Stefan laughed sharply as he stopped walking and quietly looked around making sure that they were heading in the right direction. Bonnie sighed softly as she wiped the palm of her free hand on the side of her jeans. They were beginning to grow sweaty.

"So if I'm not that special and I'm just some distant friend, why do you insists on trying to save me?" he pressed.

Bonnie huffed annoyed as she rolled her eyes upwards towards the heavens. She was quickly growing tired of the vampire's incessant chatter. "I don't know, Stefan. Perhaps it's the same reason you insist on popping up out of the blue whenever I'm lost and alone in the woods."

"We do have history," he said huskilly as he slyly attempted to intertwined their fingers to make the hand holding more intimate.

"Yeah. History filled with death, blood and despair," she grumbled before snatching her hand away from his.

"God, it's always drama with you women," he muttered frustrated.

Bonnie grabbed him by the sleeve causing him to stop walking.

"I'm drama? You are the one who cornered me a week ago before shoving your blood down my throat and kissing me. You did all of that despite the fact that your girlfriend is one of my closest friends and I'm involved with someone. If anyone is about drama, it's you," she exploded as she jabbed her index finger into his muscular chest.

His eyes glittered dangerously and Bonnie cheeks puffed out defiantly.

"You weren't exactly complaining about the kiss when it happened," Stefan retorted defensively.

"Well I'm complaining now and I want an apology," she said folding her arms across her chest.

Stefan's eyebrows nearly shot up to his hairline. She was serious? He was a bad ass vampire. He kicked ass and took names later. He ended people's lives just for the sheer entertainment of it and this little witch expected him to apologize for something so trivial as a kiss?

"I'm waiting," she said tapping the toe of her ankle boot impatiently.

Stefan narrowed his eyes at her and exhaled sharply.

He was preparing to call her seven diffrent kinds of crazy when she moved closer to him pinning him down with a dangerous stare. He knew that look. If she had her magic she would have definitely took him down with a painful aneurysm. The fact that she was powerless and still demanding an apology from someone as dangerous as himself reminded him why he had always begrudgingly held respect for Bonnie Bennett. She was known to be a lot of things, and fearless was near the top of the list. Even though he didn't want to stoop so low and apologize to her, he knew that he kind of owed it to her so he reluctantly resigned himself to his fate.

"Fine. I'm sorry," he said softly,"I'm sorry for shoving my blood down your throat. That was a dick move."

Bonnie leveled him with a impatient glare as she folded her arms across her chest.

"And?" she pressed.

Stefan shrugged a shoulder unbothered.

"If you are waiting for me to apologize for that kiss, I won't. The only thing I regret is that you didn't kiss me back. You would have found out that I am an excellent kisser," he murmured as he wiggled his eyebrows wickedly.

Bonnie felt her mouth grow dry and suddenly she became painfully aware of her surroundings. Stuck in the middle of the woods with a hot vampire who was looking at her like she was a midnight snack was causing her to have a physical reaction that she wasn't exactly proud of.

Seeing that his bold statement had caused Bonnie a great deal of discomfort, Stefan decided to show her a bit of mercy and abruptly changed the topic of conversation.

"So what were you up to before your late night rendezvous with Cade?" he asked casually.

Bonnie rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth not appreciating the innuendo she heard lurking in his tone.

. "I was having dinner with Matt," she started but was interrupted by a scandalized gasp from the wide eyed vampire.

"You and Donovan?" he shook his head feigning sadness, "I knew it was only a matter of time before you handed Enzo his walking papers."

He yelped when he felt the petite woman dig her nails into his flesh causing little cresent moon marks to appear on his milky white flesh. If Stefan was going to insist on being obnoxious and douche-y, Bonnie was going to make sure he paid the price.

"If you actually behaved like a decent human being, you would know that friends are capable of having dinner together without it meaning anything," she huffed annoyed, "Besides, he gave me the heads up on some troubling information that affects everyone we know and care about."

Hearing this made Stefan's ears perked up and whatever snarky remarks he had loaded in the chamber died on his lips.

"Matt mentioned to me that there is a possibility that a new counsel will be popping up soon. You should probably keep a relatively low profile if you don't want to be outed," she informed uneasily as she scratched the back of her neck where a mosquito had graciously helped itself to some of her blood.

"Thanks for the heads up but I can take care of myself. If they become a serious threat, I'll handle them," he said ominously.

Bonnie frowned and stopped walking.

"If by "handling them", "Bonnie said using her fingers to do air quotes, "You mean that you are going to snuff them out, I'm going to have to stop you right there, Stefan. I'm not going to let you kill anyone."

Stefan slowly faced her and smirked as he shoved his hands inside of his pants pockets. The fact that Bonnie thought that she was in any position to tell him what he could and could not do was a little annoying but on the other side of the coin, he found her highly entertaining in that moment. She had no magic, she had no feasible way of shutting him down, so he couldn't help but wonder how she planned on backing up her empty threats? From what he could see, the tiny woman was all bark and no bite.

"Really?" he said amused, "How do you plan to stop me?"

Bonnie narrowed her eyes at him as she clenched her hands into a tight fist. "I'll get Damon to take you down."

Stefan flashed a dangerous smile and Bonnie swore she saw a hint of fang.

"Damon may be my big brother, but when it comes to being the superior Salvatore vampire, he doesn't hold a candle to me," he taunted softly as he bumped his shoulder against hers lightly, "Don't you agree?"

She could smell his cologne wafting off of him causing her to swallow deeply. She had always found trouble focusing when he stood that close to her. Whenever he would invade her space she would find herself tongue tied and flustered. It was already irritating that Stefan had the nerve to be extremely arrogant and conceited, but did he have to look so good while doing it?

"No. I wouldn't agree," she mumbled before putting space between them continuing thier trek out of the woods, "Unlike you, Damon has made the choice to be good and if he feels for any reason that you are crossing lines, he will stop you and I won't feel bad for having his back when he puts you in your place."

"Something tells me that deep down, you get turned on by pitting me and my brother against each other," he said flippantly, "You are a lot like Elena in that aspect."

Bonnie rolled her eyes and tried not to laugh in his face.

"You totally nailed me. I stay up late night just dreaming about all the ways I can becomethe next poor tragic girl caught in the cross hairs of two brothers who have an affinity for sharing women. The fantasy alone is just panty melting," she drawled sarcastically.

Stefan grinned and faced her with a mischevious smirk on his lips.

"You can mock me all you want, but you can't stand there and say that you aren't attracted to me," he said as he lazily folded his arm across his chest and leaned back against a tree, "In fact I distinctly remember you telling Elena that you thought I had a hot back."

Bonnie eyes wided and this time she actually did allow herself to laugh in his face.

"Hot back? Seriously? That was years ago when I was a kid. I once thought the members of N'Sync was hot. I had questionable taste back then," she snorted moving to walk past him, but was immediately annoyed when he blocked her path.

"Well, since only one of us is keen on being honest, can I tell you what I thought of you when I first saw you?" he inquired innocently.

Bonnie sighed wearily.

"Let me guess. You saw that I was some mousey little friend of Elena and that you could easily charm me into convincing her that you were worth taking a chance on? We both know how that was a complete fail," she snorted rudely.

Stefan tensed.

"Can you just stop talking for all of thirty seconds and listen to what I have to say?" he growled irritated.

Bonnie stopped walking and slowly turned and faced him as she studied him closely. Even though she was tired, annoyed and her feet hurt, she decide that it was better to just shut up and hear Stefan out rather than to bicker with him until they found their way out of the stupid woods. "I'm listening."

Stefan placed his hands behind his back before closing the distance between him and Bonnie. As he towered over her, he was amused as his vampire hearing detected her heart skip a couple of beats.

"The first time I saw you...really saw you was the night you gave me Elena's phone number," he recalled quietly, "I saw a girl who was sweet, kind, innocent. I saw a girl who cared a lot about her friends. When our fingers brushed together and you caught a glimpse of what I was, it felt like a kick to the gut. Watching your face transform from innocence to soul crushing fear...I felt ashamed. Ashamed that someone like you was forced to learn who I was. What I was. I thought that if someone as wholesome as you saw who I was that there wasn't a chance in hell that Elena could learn the truth and want to be with me."

Bonnie felt her breath catch in her throat as she watched his pale handsome face twist with remorse and anguish.

"Why are you telling me this now?" she asked dejectedly.

"Because you need to know that I respect the fact that you didn't just write me off in the beginning. Even when you had every reason to do so. The moment you saw me as a monster was the moment everything change. Elena, Caroline...hell not even Damon had ever saw what I truly was, but you did," he said hoarsely." You saw all the worst parts of me and it fucking terrified you but instead of running and screaming in the opposite direction, you decided to see the good in me. Instead of gaining your trust and your friendship, I was so blinded by my love for Elena that I sacrificed everything and everyone to keep her happy. Instead of being the good person you believed I could be, I turned my back on you and made you expendable more times than I can count and if I could take it all back, I would."

Bonnie finally lifted her eyes and saw that he was actually sincere and it made her heart twist in her chest. Beneath all of his bravado and snark, there was still a man who still felt guilt and remorse, and that meant something to Bonnie. That meant that there was still hope for Stefan and all wasn't lost. While she had a soft spot for repentant vampires who bore the Salvatore name , Bonnie wasn't going to let Stefan off the hook so easy.

"I'm sorry, Stefan. You had years to tell me that and we both know that if Damon and Caroline hadn't turned thier backs on you, you wouldn't be telling me this at all. Your words are so pretty and so nice, but there not good enough," she said curtly.

As Stefan watched the fuming witch march off, he felt his blood boil. His first instinct was to go after her and use physical force to make her acknowledge that he was attempting to be a decent person, but he realized that such barbaric tactics wouldn't work on her. Neither would his heartfelt and genuine apology. She wasn't Elena after all. She didn't easily succumb to his charm and wasn't manipulated by his pretty face and smooth words presented to her in a somewhat romantic yet haunting atmosphere. Bonnie Bennett was a woman who had high standards and he begrudgingly respect that. However, he wasn't going to let her just walk away from him without letting her know that he had no intentions of giving up on her so easily.

Using vampire speed, Stefan grabbed her by the elbow to keep her from walking away. His bushy eyebrows move towards each other and his lips were turned down into a disapproving frown.

"Bonnie, why can't you see that I am trying?" he huffed, his face twisted with anger and frustration.

For the second time that night, Bonnie found herself asking a diffrent supernatural being the same question. "What do you want from me?"

Stefan licked his lips nervously as he folded his arms across his chest. His forhead wrinkled up and Bonnie fought the urge to smile as he subconsciously began to brood. Whenever he made that particular face, it was more than likely that he was pensive and serious about the thoughts running through his mind so she knew that whatever was about to come out of his mouth would be something that was coming from a real and deep place. Suddenly Bonnie became nervous and her palms, that had been practically been rubbed raw on the back of her jeans, started to become sweaty again.

"I want you to give me a chance to earn your trust back," he said earnestly, "Let me show you that I meant every word that I said to you."

Bonnie stared at him warily.

"How do I know that this isn't just another one of your games?" she asked softly.

Stefan flashed a wolfish smile and Bonnie couldn't help but notice that he looked attractive but down right terrifying.

"If it turns out that I'm just playing games with you, you reserve the right to destroy me in whatever manner you see fit," he offered before lowering his eyes briefly to her lips, "I would hate for you to have to punish me with chains and whips. That would not turn me on at all."

Bonnie's olive green eyes widened and her mouth opened and closed for several seconds causing her to resemble a goldfish out of water. Stefan couldn't help but laugh. Her expression was truly priceless. Minutes later, they arrived back at their cars and Bonnie was surprised to find that she felt a twinge of disappointment that their conversation had come to an end. Unlike the last encounter that she had with Stefan Salvatore, this time around was actually pleasant although she would never admit that aloud to him.

Reaching towards the car door handle, Stefan opened the door wide enough for her to climb inside. Bonnie couldn't bite back the smile spreading across her face slowly. Murmuring a polite thank you, she slid into the driver's seat and slowly put on her seat belt. Leaning down, he braced his arms on the car door window.

"Go home and try not to take anymore impromptu walks through the woods," he smirked, his forest green eyes twinkling with mischief.

Bonnie laughed sheepishly. "Don't worry. I learned my lesson."

The witch and the vampire exchanged a smile before a comfortable silence settled over them.

"Stefan?"

"Yeah?"

"You didn't have to come looking for me tonight, but you did. I just wanted to say...thank you," Bonnie murmured awkwardly.

"You are very welcome, Bonnie," he said huskily.

The moment between them was broken when her phone on the passanger seat began to vibrate. Glancing over, she winced inwardly as she saw that she had ten missed phone calls from Enzo. She felt a pang of guilt as she realized that while she was taking her precious time exiting the woods with Stefan, Enzo was probably worried sick about her. She would have a lot of explaining to do when she got home. Clearing her throat, she looked over at him and smiled apologetically.

"It's really late and I should go," she said quietly,"Goodnight."

As she twisted the key into the ignition and started the car, Stefan reached over and gently brush a loose strand of her hair out of her face and tucked it securely behind her ear. He intentionally let his fingertips linger on her cheek longer than what was necessary. Bonnie swallowed deeply feeling slightly uneasy about the intense look of hunger that was lurking in the vampire's eyes. She realized that there was something shifting in her relationship with Stefan and while she knew that the vampire standing in front of her wasn't the person that she used to know, something about this version of him intrigued her. He was still dark, dangerous and unstable, but beneath the unattractive qualities, she saw a glimmer of a man who was still caring and protective. She knew that she had a long way to go before she could actually say she trusted him, but she felt tonight was a good start to take down that particular road.

"Good night Bonnie."

As she watched him walk back to his car in her rearview mirror, she felt a wave of dread and anxiety blanket over her. Subconciously she wrapped her arms around herself, and was startled to hear the squeak of leather. Looking down, she realized that she was still wearing Stefan's jacket. By the time she looked out of her window to call out to him, he was gone. Sighing heavilly, she slumped down into the driver's seat and closed her eyes trying to ignore Stefan scent that was clinging to the jacket wrapped around her and for a brief moment she allowed herself to imagine that it was his arms instead. As her mind begin to process the events that had taken place that night in the middle of the woods, one question remained at the frontline of her mind.

 _What the hell was she getting herself into?_

 **End Note: I would really love to have some cover art for this story. If anyone is interested in hooking a sistah up, feel free to slide in my inbox ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Sorry for the delay. Sometimes I get insecure with my writing and I walk away from it. However, this is a passion of mine and in the words of Snow White and Charming from Once Upon A Time...I look at my stories and remind myself "I will always find you."Enjoy.**

#

As Matt sat on the side of the road in his patrol car monitoring the speed trap he had set a couple of miles away from the Mystic Falls border, he found himself being distracted by the dark thoughts that had been plaguing him as of late. The young sheriff was a man who was used to having the burden of the world placed on the shoulder. He knew that it was illogical to complain considering the fact that he had signed up to take on the responsibility of watching over and protecting Mystic Falls. However, he couldn't help but feel like he needed more. He wanted more. All of his life he had to deal with looking out for people. It started when he had enabled an alcoholic mother who had inadvertently made him the patriarch of their small and broken family. He failed when he struggled to protect his sister Vicky who had ended up being hypersexual, drugged out and killed after becoming a vampire. He had been helpless when Elena had been sucked into the wake of Salvatore's supernatural destiny. It seemed that no matter how much he tried to protect people, he was always doomed to fail which begged the question of why he was bothering to try to play the hero in the first place?

He was jolted out of his deep musings when his phone vibrated indicating that he had just received a text message.

Typing in his four digit pass code, Matt swiped left and saw the green text bubble appear on his screen.

 **Amber: I was really looking forward to dinner and drinks, but I understand why you had to cancel. Duty calls.**

The clock on the police car's dashboard read 9:30PM. Matt's cobalt blue eyes rolled to the back of his head. He was suppose to clock out at seven and meet up his date at the Grille around nine, but when he got the call that one of his officers was out sick and the shift needed to be covered, he had reluctantly stepped up to the plate. While he had been slightly disappointed that he wasn't going to get to know the hot redhead over wine and appetizer, a part of him was deeply relieved. He had thought that he had properly mourned and dealt with the five stages of grief when it came to Penny's death, but the entire day he had been mentally preparing with his date with Amber, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about Penny; the woman that he had been so ready to spend the rest of his life with.

 **Matt: Raincheck tomorrow?**

Matt swallowed deeply as he dropped his head back against his head rest and closed his eyes tightly. He wanted to move forward. Hell, he wanted to bang the hell out of Amber whose dating profile indicated that she was a sucker for 'The Killers' and loved binge watching Scrubs. Unfortunately, whenever he thought he was ready, the thought of his dead fiancé would shatter that leaving him to feel nothing but regret, pain and an overwhelming sense of loss.

His thumb hovered over the green phone icon, but he never got a chance to push it.

 _"Sherriff Donovan, we have a code 187 located at 11900 Wilshire Lane. Do you copy? Over."_

Matt sighed before taking the black mike hanging on his shoulder and pressing the button to transmit his response. " I Copy dispatch. Over." He said flatly before releasing the mike. Reaching up towards the dashboard, he flipped the switch causing the sirens sitting on top of his vehicle to shriek loudly while flashing blue and red.

Five minutes later, Matt arrived at the scene and he could slowly feel his neck becoming tight with tension.

Several marked patrol cars were parked on the outskirts of the property and neighbors from nearby residents had gathered behind the yellow and black crime scene tape speculating on what scandal that occurred that was capable of shaking the foundations of the walls that surrounded the blissfully ignorant town. The land dead brown grass was peppered with several small red flags that marked the placements where body parts had been discovered.

Grinding his molars in frustration, Matt turned the keys in the ignition effectively killing the engine of his patrol car. The sound of knuckles rapping on the glass window inches from his face caused him to nearly jump out of his skin. He rolled his window down to found one of his officers smiling sheepishly as he beckoned him to join him on the crime scene.

"Some high school kids was out here drinking and attempting to build a bonfire. They started digging up a patch of dirt to make a fire pit, and that's when they discovered the severed head," Shawn Jones, one of Matt's deputy reported gravely.

Matt looked over to see three young males and a female standing off to the side giving separate statements to different cops. The kids look absolutely terrified and Matt knew that they were probably going to need months of therapy to cope with their gruesome discovery.

"They told officer Manny that they were coming out to the property to have a bon fire and party. Shawn, the boy in the gray shorts, was in charge of digging up the dirt and gathering logs. That's' when he discovered the ear. When they dug deeper, the found several other body parts and called the police. We took a couple of our canine's and they rooted up the torso and a severed head. The poor woman was chopped into pieces. In all my years on the force, I never seen anything this heinous," he said gravely, looking a little green around the gills.

 _That's because you are new here,_ Matt thought, but wisely kept his snark to himself. The young sheriff would have loved to say that he had never something so brutal, but the past ten years of his life had been filled with nothing but horror, blood and death. Some of the traumatic memories he carried with him would make any slasher film look like child's play.

Another officer, Officer Walker, came over with a flushed face. "One of the deputies recognized the woman from one of the missing person flyers hanging up down at the police department. He says that her name is Georgia Wilkes. She was reported missing three days ago."

His eye caught a piece of fabric near the severed arm and hunched down closer to get a better view. Taking a pen out of his breast pocket, he lifted to his eye level and noticed that it was fabrics to an expensive rug. A rug that he had walked across many times and he suddenly got a lump in his throat as he realized just who and what was behind the grizzly murder. _Damon fucking Salvatore._

"Something wrong, sir?" Officer Walker asked softly.

"You mean besides the fact we are standing in a field surrounded by scattered body parts?" he asked, his tone sharper than he had intended.

"Sir, you can't be here."

The sound of a small commotion caught Matt's attention and he gently replaced the piece of evidence back where he found it before rising and looking over his shoulder. He felt his annoyance grow as he spotted Brody hovering near the perimeter of the property. Why the fuck was he even there? Why was he lingering at a crime scene after dark? Why did he insist on being a habitual line stepper?

"I'm sorry, but this is a crime scene and ongoing investigation. Civilians are not allowed to be beyond the yellow tape," Matt informed Brody tersely.

The blonde haired green eyed man flashed a brilliant smile. "I'm not exactly a civilian, sheriff. If you have taken notice of my poll numbers, you will see that is very likely that I will be sworn in as the next Mayor of Mystic Falls."

"No offense, but until things are official, I still have a duty to enforce and uphold the law, and the law says you can't be here right now," he repeated patiently.

"Ah, no worries. Some of your deputies are friends of mine. I'm sure they will give me the report once they are finished with the initial investigation," he said simply.

It took everything inside of Matt not to roll his eyes. The man was a lot to handle with his brash personality, expensive clothes, and faux southern accent. He looked like he belong on an advertisement poster for Men's Warehouse, not standing on an abandoned property playing detective.

"If you insist on meddling in police matters, I will have no choice but to charge you with obstruction of justice. I wonder how your voters will feel if they found out that there future mayor believed that he was above the law," Matt said evenly.

The two men stared each other down before Brody laughed deeply.

"I am sorry, Sheriff Donovan. Believe it or not, I actually like you. I think we are getting off on the wrong foot. I have a tendency to be proactive when it comes to people and things that I love, and let me just tell you I love this town. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to keep it safe and I think if you and I work together, the people of Mystic Falls will benefit greatly," he said flashing his million dollar grin before turning and walking back to his car.

Matt went back to where his deputies were gathered.

"Send a patrol car over to Georgia Wilkes next of kin residence," Matt said somberly, "Escort them to the hospital so that we can have them identify their sister's remains."

"Where are you off to?" the deputy asked curiously.

"I have to follow a lead."

As he made his way back to his car, he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. Scrolling through his contacts, his eyes narrowed when he found what he was looking for. Pressing the green phone icon, he bought the phone to his ear and waited impatiently. When he was sent straight to voice mail, he swore quietly.

"Damon, it's me. Matt," he barked into the voice piece of the phone, "We need to talk. It's important."

Climbing into his car, he turned the key in the ignition and drove off into the night.

#

The sound of patent leather red bottom six inch heels clicked across the hot pavement leading Cybil into the dive bar labeled appropriately as "Junk yard." The establishment was located an hour outside of Mystic Falls, and even though the siren was happy to be out of the small and boring town, she was disappointed to find that the town she was currently occupying wasn't any more appealing. Not only was the night air impossibly sticky and hot, but the dirt was ruining her expensive shoes and that made her mood worsen. Wrinkling her nose in disgust, she stepped around the four chickens clucking around the front door while wincing at the sounds of cicadas screaming in the corn field located across the street.

Huffing annoyed, she fanned herself with her hand to get temporary relief from the heat before gripping the handle of the door and yanking it open and walking in. Looking around the small room, Cybil felt a mixture of annoyance and frustration. The old school jukebox was playing Bette Johnny Cash, the air smelled like stale smoke and burnt oil grease, and Sybil winced disgusted as she saw two roaches scurrying across the floor to find shelter in the darkest corners of the shit hole. They were probably preparing to procreate and that particular thought nearly made her gag. She was a powerful supernatural being. She could siren her way into the most high class and exclusive establishments in the shouldn't be subjected to slumming in dive bars searching for some psychopathic siphoner who managed to escape from hell.

As a weary looking middle aged waitress walked towards her, Cybil flashed her sweetest smile.

"Coffee, black when you get a chance. Thank you," she said before strolling deeper into the wretched establishment. The walls were off white and speckled with dirt, food and something that look suspiciously like feces.

Sybil was two seconds from abandoning her missing and getting the hell out of dodge when she suddenly found her target sitting in a booth in the darkest corner of the bar. He was playing with a ring of salt with a deep scowl on his face. After a minute of this, the weary vampire looked up to see Cybil starring down at him with a warm smile.

"See something you like, lady?" the weak vampire growled annoyed.

Cybil placed her hand on her hip and smirked as she took a moment to quietly observe the brooding heretic.

He was wearing all black and there was dried blood on his t-shirt. His hair fell into his eyes and he wore an angry scowl.

She could admit that beneath the grunge, dried blood and the scruff that he was an attractive man. Unfortunately for him, Cybil desires were focused on a tall dark and handsome Salvatore brother with eyes as blue as crystalized ice,.

She smiled sweetly before sliding in the booth and sitting directly in front of him.

"Hello," she greeted innocently, "Malachi Parker I presume? My name is Sybil."

The vampire lifted his head and narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but Cybil didn't miss the flash of fear that crossed his handsome and youthful face.

"Let me guess. Cade sent you here to drag me back to hell," he mumbled, "If you think that taking me will be easy, you have another thing coming."

"You are sorely mistaken, handsome," she purred as the waitress sat her coffee mug down in front of her before trudging off, "I'm not here for anyone else's agenda but my own."

Kai stared at her uneasily.

"What exactly do you want from me?"

"I do believe you are acquainted with the formidable Bonnie Bennett?" she asked twisting her lips into a devious smile.

Hearing Bonnie's name caused the brooding siphoner to flinch noticeably. _Of all the witches in all the world, why did Kai find himself once again being lured back into Bennet's little web?_ When Kai had escaped hell, his gut instinct told him to get as far away from Mystic Falls as he possibly could, but one thing kept him anchored to the little miserable town. Revenge. Damon Salvatore had removed his head and put a premature end to Kai's life, so the Gemini warlock thought it was only fitting that he saw to it that Bonnie Bennet's little bestie suffered the same fate. The only thing that kept him from putting his plan for vengeance was the fact that he wanted to wait to do it when it would hurt Bonnie the most. He wanted to make sure that she was at her happiest, so when Damon's death occurred, the pain that she would feel would cause to her to come crashing down from her cloud and bliss and land her in a world filled with nothing but deep loss and pain. His anger was so intense that Kai was practically vibrating and the liquid in the bottle of beer he had clutched in his hands began to boil.

Seeing that she manage to strike a nerve by mentioning Bonnie's name, Sybil smiled innocently.

"Just so that you can see that I'm being transparent, I feel obligated to tell you that I'm a psychic. Unfortunately for me, I can't tell what you are thinking. I've met a few siphioner's in my time and your kind are among the very few species who are immune to my call and my particular gifts," she pouted prettily.

"Well don't feel too bad. Being in my head isn't exactly a walk in the park," he chuckled darkly.

Cybil bit her bottom lip before leaning forward and batting her eyelashes. "I am not a shrinking wallflower, Malachi. I don't shy away from the darkness. That is why I think you and I are going to be great partners."

Kai frowned and narrowed his eyes at the siren suspiciously.

"If I were you, I would hold off on throwing the word 'partners' around. You mentioned Bonnie," he said tossing a spicy peanut into his mouth. "What do you want with her?"

"Bonnie is just the means to an end. She has something I want in her possession and I need your help retrieving it," she said mysteriously.

"What could Bonnie possibly have that you want?" Kai asked curiously.

"Elena."

Hearing the doppelganger's name come out of the sirens cherry red lips caused Kai interest to peak and he leaned forward studying her closely. What exactly was this little saucy minks up to? Why did she need Elena and what was her endgame? When he voiced his questions, Cybil batted her eyes with a devious look on her pretty face.

"I have taken an interest in Damon Salvatore but for some reason, he has been rejecting my advances," she sighed sadly.

The vampire arched an eyebrow surprised.

"Damon turned you down? You're pretty hot. I guess he really is a lot dumber than he looks," he scoffed.

Sybil's face lit up at the compliment.

"Well aren't you sweet? He would see that we could be good together if his Elena didn't occupy his heart and if his head wasn't lodge so far up Bonnie's ass," she complained.

Kai fought to hide the smile that was threatening to spread across his chapped lips. He didn't know Cybl from a can of paint, but he could clearly see that she really didn't like his Bonster. If he didn't know any better, it would appear that the little siren was actually jealous. He could understand why. Cybil was beautiful in her own right, and he would be a liar if he said he didn't get a semi boner every time his full government named rolled off the tip her tongue, but Cybil couldn't compare to Bonnie. No, Bonnie was special. Kai never met someone that he both adored and hated, lusted after yet wanted to kill, wanted to hurt yet heal her. Bonnie was light and darkness. Ying to his yang. During his suffering in hell, Kai's thoughts had volleyed between fantasies of ripping Damon apart, and fantasies of his violent interactions with Bonnie. He loved how he could hurt her, and it turned him on when she would dole out the same punishment on him. It was sick and he knew that it was beyond twisted, but that was there relationship and while others may never be able to understand it, Kai quietly cherished it.

Cybil stared at Kai who had his cheek propped up on his fist staring into the distance while tracing hearts into the circle of salt that was in front of him.

"Oh for Pete's sake, don't tell me that you have a thing for the little witch too?" she sighed amused.

Kai shrugged and folded his hands in front of him. _If having a thing for someone meant wanting to make love to them while they drowned in a pool of their own blood, then sure. He had a thing for her._

"Trust me. It's not what you think," he promised softly.

"Good. She may be gorgeous, but she is hardly worth the headache," she sniffed before taking another sip of her coffee.

"What exactly do you have against Bonnie?" Kai asked gazing at the siren curiously.

Cybil looked petchulent as her face darkened noticeably.

"I expect the men I siren to obey my every command and submit and obey me. The fact that Bonnie commands Damon and Enzo's loyalty with little to no effort enrages me!" she exclaimed frustrated.

For the first time during the impromptu meeting, Kai laughed and felt seriously entertained. Leaning back in the booth, he folded his arms across his chest. "Why exactly do you think Bonnie is able to do that?

"It's because Damon and Enzo is because they both have an deep seeded need to protect Bonnie Bennett," Cybil growled frustrated as she dug her nails into the edge of the table. "I had to work overtime to get them to do my bidding and yet when she is around, they both fall over themselves to keep her safe. She is a pathetic powerless twip, but she has the two legendary Augustine vampires ready to risk everything for her. I have spent countless of hours in Damon's mind and his actions have proven that he cares very deeply for her. When she was the huntress, he had been willing to die for her. I want that same loyalty. I demand it and if I can't have it, then I will take away everything and everyone that she loves."

"So not only are you jealous, but you are extremely petty," Kai snorted shaking his head.

Sybil smiled at him prettily as she reached up and tuck a loose lock of her chestnut securely behind her ear.

"Malakai, I have been around longer than you can possibly imagine. When Cade gave me my abilities, most men couldn't resist me. I always got what I wanted when I wanted it. Damon is one of the very few men that I was unable to break and completely control. The others couldn't be broken for the same reason he can't and that's because he is deeply in love with a woman who isn't me. That's why I need you to help me get to Elena. Once I remove her out of the picture, you will have the vengeance that you always wanted and I get a man who is completely devoted to me," she smiled brightly, "It's a win for the both of us."

"Whatever you are planning to do to her, leave me out of it. I have my own ways of making Bon Bon pay," he insisted, with a smug look on his handsome face. "Besides, she is probably still the sad and lonely little witch that she was when I died. I'm not in any rush to destroy her."

Sybil frowned confused. This wasn't what she had expected when she had hunted down the infamous sciphoner. She thought he would be gleefully and jump at the chance to terrorize Bonnie. After all, his history in the last year of his life showed that traumatizing the young witch with violence and heartbreak was not only his favorite past time, but it was his main specialty. The man sitting before her didn't seem capable of hurting a fly. He looked hollow, defeated and broken and that was not going to farewell for Cybil given the fact she was determined to ruin the annoying little witch. Forcing a smile, Cybil trailed the brim of the dingy coffee cup with her perfectly manicured pink finger nail.

"I hate to tell you this, but Bonnie isn't exactly sad or lonely," Sybil smirked tapping her manicured French tip nails on the edge of the table, "Against all odds, your little nemesis managed to find love and is very well on getting her happily ever after."

Kai frowned. "Please don't tell me she was so desperate to pick over her own left overs and went back to little Gilbert?"

Sybil shook her head before smirking. "Actually she is with Enzo St. Johns. Are you familiar with him?" Hearing this revelation made Kai subconsciously clench his hand into a tight fist. Bonnie was suppose to be too good for vampires. She was everything that he had once wanted to be. So to hear that she had climb down from tower of self righteousness and given her heart to a vampire who had probably killed ten times more people than he ever did...it stung. He had once apologized to Bonnie for all the bad things he had done and asked for her forgiveness and she had blown him off. It pissed him off that she could manage to forgive the likes of Damon and Enzo, but found a way to make him feel like he was the one unworthy of redemption.

A cold smile slowly stretched across his lips causing his handsome features to harden.

"Maybe I will join you in your little operation after all," he said quietly as he took a long swig of beer. Sybil bit down on her bottom lip to keep from squealing with excitement. She had everything she needed to move forward with her plan which meant that she could now high tail it out of that hell hole called a bar.

"Eat up, Malachi," she murmured patting the back of his hand gently as she slid out of the booth, "If everything goes according to plan, you and I both can get what we want."

She flipped her hair over her shoulder before exiting the booth and making her way towards the exit of the dingy bar. As she pushed the door opened and headed towards her car, her lips curled into a demented smile as the sounds of blood curling scream coming from the waitress and the sound of her body hitting the floor.

 **End Note: On to the next Chappie :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Sorry for the delay. Enjoy.**

 _"Bonnie."_

 _Bonnie eyes fluttered open as she felt cold air brush the nape of her neck. A dreamy smile stretched across her lips and she shuddered feeling goosebumps dance across her body. She had thought that she had closed the window before she had went to bed earlier that night, but judging from the way her nipples were beginning to harden and body began to shiver, she had more than likely forgotten. Sighing softly, the exhausted Bennett witch rolled over to snuggle closer to Enzo in an effort to seek warmth, but was startled to find that the vampire wasn't lying next to her. Her confusion deepen and her eyes widened when she discovered that she wasn't in her bed. Instead of being safe and warm in her own home, she was sprawled out on a dusty floor inside of a room that she didn't recognize. The artwork on the walls was covered with water spots, blood splatter and dust and the furniture was all turned over, torn and broken._

 _"Bonnie."_

 _"Where am I?" she wondered as she licked her lips nervously. Her mouth was dry and her head felt fuzzy like she had been sleeping for weeks._

 _Forcing herself off the floor and onto her feet, she stumbled towards the door, desperate to get out of the mystery house and find Enzo. As her hands curled around the golden door handle, she tugged it open gently before stepping out into what appeared to be an empty foyer. Bonnie suddenly had the eerie feeling that she had been there before. Moving past the staircase, she walked into the living room and felt her breath catch as she was hit with a startling revelation. She was at the Lockwood's Manor, but something was off. The place looked like it had been destroyed. Blood and water was leaking from the ceiling causing several puddles to form across the floor. Paintings had been torn off the wall, furniture was knocked over, and the air reeked of blood and death. There were books scattered across the floor and picture frames that were shattered, torn and blotted with specks of dark blood._

 _Who would vandalize the Lockwood Manor and why?_ _Bonnie wondered as she looked around the living room for clues._

 _Her curiosity deepen as she came across a pile of photo's sitting in the darkest corner of the room. As she squatted down and began to look through the images, Bonnie's confusion deepened as she realized that none of the pictures were of Tyler and his family. Instead, all of the photographs were centered around Elena. Elena smiling with Matt and Caroline at party, Elena and Damon engaged in a passionate lip lock, Elena and Stefan laughing on the back of a motorbike. There was even a picture of Elena with Alaric, Josie and Lizzie. None of the pictures included Bonnie, and she found that both strange and hurtful._

 _"Don't feel bad. I didn't make a special guest appearance in "The life of Elena Gilbert" photo collage either."_

 _Bonnie whirled around and found Tyler Lockwood standing behind her with a smile and his arms folded. He was shirtless and wearing tattered pants with stains that suspiciously looked like splotches of blood. While a small part of Bonnie was excited to see her old acquaintance, but the more practical side of her was wary. The last time she had been face with the handsome hybrid had been at the Armory when had nearly killed her while trying to rip Damon's throat out. Even though she hadn't blamed him for what had been an accident, Bonnie had become terrified of Tyler and had kept a healthy distance from him._

 _"This isn't possible," Bonnie said slowly as she observed him with morbid curiosity, "You're dead."_

 _He snorted rudely before turning his back on her and walking across the room._

 _His boots caused the mixture of water and blood to splash nosily as he stomped over to the granite table and lifted himself to a sitting position on the edge of the piece of furniture. The moonlight was shining through the broken window on the East side of the room illuminating the stoic look his face as he directed his heated gaze towards Bonnie._

 _"I'm dead and you are roaming around my abandoned house in the middle of the night," he murmured flashing all of his canine's while his eyes briefly trailed across her barely clad body. "You went through a pretty traumatic experience tonight. You shouldn't be surprised that you are suffering some mental after affects."_

 _Bonnie bit her bottom lip softly. She wasn't prone to sleep walking, so she knew that her climbing out of her bed and trudging half way across town like a mindless zombie was unlikely. She also canceled out the option that would suggest that she was suffering from hallucinations which would have explained Tyler's presence. The only other logical explanation was that she was dreaming or she was having a..._

 _"Vision," she mused aloud, "You being here with me in this house is a vision."_

 _Tyler clucked his tongue and nodded in confirmation._

 _"Bingo. Your dinivition and your subconsciousness are merging together in your third cycle of REM state. Everyone that you are interacting with are just a manifestation of the mind. In lament's terms, the people that you are seeing aren't exactly real, but the events that are to come will be," he explained simply._

 _Bonnie made a move to take a step towards him, when she felt her bare foot sink into a puddle of thick crimson liquid. She felt her stomach turn when she looked down and found that she was standing ankle deep in blood. She swallowed deeply forcing herself not to think about who the blood had previously belonged to. Instead she decided to focus on the task at hand. The sooner that she could get answers out of Tyler, the sooner she could get the hell out of the little house of horrors._

 _"I take it that you are here to warn me about something," she pressed impatiently._

 _He shrugged a shoulder nonchalantly. "I am, but let's be honest. What's the point? Whatever I tell you is going to fall on deaf ears because you are not going to let anything stand in the way of saving your little friends."_

 _Bonnie narrowed her eyes as she heard the bitterness and judgement in his voice._

 _"You say that like it's a bad thing. I'm not going to stand here and feel bad because I do whatever it takes to protect people," she said defensively._

 _Tyler rolled his pink tongue across his lips as he stared at her with anger and rage in his dark brown eyes speckled with golden hues._

 _"Those people are not your friends. What kind of friends make a decision whether to kill you or not by flipping a fucking coin? What kind of friends would allow you to continue to sacrifice and put yourself in harms way for them? What kind of friend would choose to desiccate rather than hang around and help look after you?" he demanded angrily as he slid off the table and towered over her, "For god's sake, Bonnie. Open your eyes. What is it going to take for you to get it through your head that you are better off without them? You already lost your grams, your father, and your mother? Who do you have to lose next? Matt? Enzo?"_

 _His callous words cause anger to ripple through Bonnie and she shoved him causing him to stumble a couple of steps backwards._

 _"How dare you?!" she thundered, her olive green eyes flashing angrily._

 _Tyler growled loudly before grabbing her wrists yanking her roughly to his chest._

 _"As long as you continue to play the martyr to Elena and the Salvatore brothers, you will continue to lose the people you love and one day you will wake up and find yourself alone with nothing but faded memories and piles of regrets," he warned his warm breath fanning across her cheek as he glared down at her, "Is that what you really want?"_

 _"Let go of me," she hissed snatching away and glaring at him murderously._

 _"I'm just trying to give you a heads up, Bennett," he sighed softly._

 _"A heads up about what?" she snapped._

 _"Stefan."_

 _Bonnie stared at him confused._

 _"What about Stefan?" she asked warily._

 _He stared at her as if he wanted to say something important, but he bit his tongue. A look of frustration and sadness flashed briefly across his dark face._

 _"All you need to know is that you can't save him and if you try, you will lose everything," he said quietly._

 _Bonnie shook her head. She knew that she should heed Tyler's warning, but something inside of her refused to listen to his grave warning. If Damon was capable of redemption, then so was Stefan._

 _She turned to leave when his voice stopped her abruptly._

 _"There is something else that you need to know," he taunted softly in a sing song voice._

 _Whirling around, she was fully prepared to tell him to go to hell when the words died on her lips. His eyes were no longer their usual color and shape. Instead, there were twice their regular size and solid black. He flashed forward nearly knocking her off balance as he invaded her personal space._

 _"The great awakening is coming." His breath fanned across her cheek as he stared down at her intensely. "Are you ready?"_

 _She blinked and when she opened her eyes, he was gone._

 _She felt her breath catch as she heard the distinctive sound of a wolf's bone chilling cry off in the distance._

 _Feeling more than ready to get the hell out of Lockwood Manor, Bonnie was making her way to the front door of the house when she heard strange noises coming from upstairs. Halting in her retreat, she cocked her head to the side and listened closely. She detected the sounds of soft humming, girlish giggles and a masculine deep moan. It was obvious that other people were in the house, but the question was, who were they and what were they up to?_

 _Against her better judgement, Bonnie began to make her slow ascension up the stairs._

 _With each step that she took, she unknowingly left bloody footsteps in her wake._

 _Bonnie dug her nails into the soft flesh of her palms and hoped that whoever she encountered next would be a lot more helpful than Tyler Lockwood had been. Arriving at the top of the staircase, Bonnie proceeded to make her way to the room where the sounds were becoming less muffled and more distinct. Pushing the door open, she opened her mouth to speak when the sight before her left her speechless. A woman with shoulder length hair was sitting perched on top of a man, but the room was dark and their faces was hidden. From the way they continue to murmur and converse, it was obvious that they were completely unaware of her presence. The sound of lightning crashing somewhere near by caused Bonnie to jump, and glancing out the window on the opposite side of the room, she noticed that the light drizzle from earlier had evolved into a full on rainstorm. Looking around the room, she couldn't help but notice that white lilies were blooming out of the wall. Despite the fact that flowers appeared fresh, the room still smelled like decay, sex and death._

 _"Oh god," the woman whispered hotly, "Go deeper."_

 _As Bonnie moved closer, she could see the milky white flesh of the lovers pressed together as they engaged in passionate intercourse. She tried to catch a glimpse of their identity, but the shadows from the dark room was doing a great job of shadowing their faces. As they continued to moan and wither against each other, Bonnie begin to feel like a voyager and decided to leave the room before the couple noticed that they were no longer alone._

 _"Welcome to the place where all of the magic happens."_

 _Bonnie lifted her head to see a figure emerging from the shadows and she felt a jolt of surprise and confusion when the mysterious stranger revealed themselves to be Anna, Jeremy's ex. Her brown hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail and she was wearing a leather black jacket and funky purple and black strip leggings._

 _"Talk about your plot twist," the Asian girl laughed enjoying the look of shock on the other woman's face. "I bet I'm the last person you expected to see."_

 _"Of all the ghosts, of all the realms, why am I seeing your face," Bonnie asked not bothering to hide the contempt in her voice._

 _"The answer is both quite simple and somewhat complicated," she sighed sitting on the edge of the bed and pulling her knees up to her chest and resting her chin on her right knee cap. "I am here to warn you about betrayal."_

 _Bonnie felt a couple of choice words threatening to spill from her lips, but her face remained hard and neutral._

 _"I was the girl who plotted with Ben and convinced him to flirt and pretend to like you before kidnapping you and holding you hostage. I was the girl who Jeremy cheated on you with when I was nothing more than a ghost," she pointed out looking somewhat remorseful. "You associate my memory with betrayal."_

 _"So you being here means that someone close to me is going to betray me," Bonnie walked across the room and stared out the window mesmerized by the fury of the rainstorm. "Great."_

 _Anna laughed and shook her head._

 _"I'm glad that you find people turning on me amusing," Bonnie said coldly._

 _The dead vampire observed her curiously._

 _"When I told you that I am here as a warning of a betrayal, you immediately painted yourself as the victim. You couldn't begin to wrap your mind around the fact that you are capable of betraying someone," she said bluntly._

 _Bonnie stared at her like she had suddenly sprouted a second head._

 _"Excuse me?" she sputtered incredously._

 _"Sometimes life comes at you hard, Bonnie. Some of the most purest of hearts have had weak moments and have fallen into temptation," she said with a soft look of understanding in her eyes, "No one is perfect."_

 _"You don't know anything about me. If you did, you would know that I am loyal and I would never betray the people I care about," she said caustically. "I have protected the people I love time and time again and I have never turned on them."_

 _"Yes, you have a track record of protecting your little supernatural squad, but at what cost?" she started._

 _Bonnie rolled her eyes. "If you are about to rattle on about my loss and sacrifices, save your breath. I don't need a reminder," she said snidely._

 _"If you already know these things, why are you not do anything to change them? You don't strike me as someone who is insane, but I'm dead and I'm not really here so what do I know?" she said sweetly._

 _"Of course I'm not insane," Bonnie huffed._

 _"Are you sure?" Anna eyebrow arched slightly. She hopped off the bed and made her way over to Bonnie with a serious look on her young face. "Insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. You keep putting Elena's and the Salvatore's salvation above your own needs and the result is the same every single time. You make sacrifices that involves the loss of people you care about and each time a little bit of your own happiness slips away." When Bonnie remained silent, Anna sighed and offered her a genuine smile. "Here's a little piece of advice. Betrayal isn't a bad thing when it comes to self preservation. If and when it comes down to choosing between your life and Elena's or Damon's or Stefan's , it's okay to chose yourself." Anna walked towards the exit of the room and paused in the doorway before looking back at Bonnie, The great awakening is coming, Bonnie," Anna murmured, "Are you ready?"_

 _Bonnie felt a shiver dance down her spine as Anna parroted the same eerie words that Tyler had said to her._

 _As Bonnie continued to wander through the halls of the Lockwood Manor, she felt herself feeling a sense of frustration and hopelessness. Talking to Tyler only made her feel guilty and talking to Anna had irritated her. What was the purpose of this vision if she was only talking to people who pointed out problems, but failed to give solutions that would not have to make her break ties with the people she cared about?_

 _The sound of faint praying caught Bonnie's attention as she made her way back downstairs._

 _"Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen."_

 _Bonnie walks in on a priest on his knees in front of the fire place. He has the black and white collar secured around his neck and clutching black Rosary beads in his left hand._

 _Sensing her presence, he slowly rose to his feet and faced her. Bonnie gasped surprised._

 _"Pastor Young!"_

 _"Hello, Bonnie. It's been a long time," he said smiling with a nostalgic look on his face. In his hands, was a burgundy bible with the golden letters 'Holy Book' inscribed across it. "I remember when Sheila and Rudy had you baptized in the my church. When I held you, I remembered thinking that you were the perfect symbol of Christ's love."_

 _The haunting tone in his the pastor's voice caused the hairs on the back of her arms to stand up. While she hadn't been much of a church goer, she always gotten a bad vibe whenever she would cross paths with Pastor Young back when he was alive. He had always seemed cold and detached and had a sinister aurora around him despite the fact that he was a man of the cloth. There was a dark hatred that he possessed that had festered beneath the surface._

 _"Let me guess," Bonnie sighed, "You're here to warn me about how my loyalty to my friends will somehow cost me my soul?"_

 _Pastor Young observed her strangely before laughing softly._

 _"I'm here because a great cleansing is coming. The scourge that defiles our precious town is about to be wiped from the face of the Earth and God's judgement and wrath will fall upon the wicked and the damned," he said quietly._

 _Bonnie blinked and stared at him confused._

 _"I don't understand," she said softly._

 _"You have lost your way, my child," he murmurs as he shakes his head in disappointment, "You have let those demons use you and defile you. You have strayed from the path of righteousness."_

 _"Those demons are people that I care about," she started defensively._

 _"They are an abomination," he shouted angrily causing her to nearly jump out of her skin. He glared at her with such disgust and contempt that Bonnie was unable to bring herself to look him in the eyes. "They prey on the innocent, they have spilled the blood of the innocent, they have feasted on the flesh of the innocent. You have had the power to stop them and to end them a long time ago, yet you align yourself with the wicked. You turn a blind eye to their depravity! Why have you forsaken the people who needed you the most?"_

 _Bonnie swallowed the lump of tears that had formed in her throat. Tyler had warned her about Stefan, Anna had warned of betrayal, and now Pastor Young was fanning the flames of her guilt and self loathing. Even though she had forgiven all the vampires in her life of their past sins and transgressions, a part of her carried the burden of guilt for all the broken lives that they had left behind in the wake of their blood lust and vengeance. She tried reasoning with herself that she had done the best that she could when it came to her powers. She had prevented hell from being unleashed on earth by keeping up the veil, she had saved her friends from being caught in the destruction of the other side, she had bought Jeremy back from the dead, she had saved Elena countless of times. As she counted all her acts of heroics and sacrifice in her head, deep down she knew that none of it mattered when it came to the innocent lives that she could have saved, but didn't._

 _"Why did you forsake the people who needed you the most?" Pastor Young repeated, his voice quiet and filled with sadness._

 _"I...," she started, but trailed off brokenly._

 _"It was because you were weak," he finished for her. He approached her and stopped when he was standing inches away from her. Taking her chin between his thumb and index finger, he gently tilted her head back so that she was forced to look him the eyes, "You were weak and people, good people, suffered. You have a chance at a redemption. You have the chance to once again walk in the light and leave behind the darkness. All you have to do is let them go."_

 _Bonnie tensed and jerked away from his touch. Pastor Young had tried appealing to her guilt in order to lead her to accepting the fact that letting go of her friends was the right thing to do, and it had almost worked._

 _"I will never turn my back on them," she said stubbornly as anger began to warm her chest._

 _"You stupid and foolish girl," Pastor Young cursed as he gritted his teeth and glowered at her hatefully, "Your obsession with that girl and harem of vampires has rotted you to the core and you are so blinded by loyalty that you can't even see the irreparable damage that they has done to you."_

 _"I'm not obsessed with them. I care about them because them because they are my friends," Bonnie growled, "You are so blinded by the hate you have for all things supernatural that you can't even see that hate isn't the response to darkness. Only love can drive out darkness and my love for Elena, my love for my friends is something I am not going to let go because you don't think they are worthy of it."_

 _"It's clear that you have chosen your side. I am here to warn you that The Founder's Counsel will rise again and you and those demons will fall and you will burn with them," he hissed hatefully._

 _"You mean like my ancestors burned when the first Counsel lynched them for being witches?" she retorted coldly._

 _Pastor Young fell silent and glared at her seething._

 _"You can stand there in your collar and clinging to your rosary and good book, but at the end of the day, you are just as much of a monster as they are, but in my opinion your kind are worst. Your kind lynched my people for being different. Your kind murdered in the name of the Lord. Your kind passed your hate and you sickness down from generation to generation, so don't stand there and tell me I'm going to burn," she said evenly, "If the Founder's Counsel decides that they want to come for me and my friends, my friends will tear them apart and you will watch them burn."_

 _"All of this because you refuse to let those demons go," he said, his voice soft and hollow._

 _Before he could say another word, Bonnie turned her back on him and bolted towards the exit of the room._

 _"Don't forget that HE is your redeemer. HE is your savior. Those heathens that you try so desperately to protect. THEY will be your downfall." He bellowed after her angrily as he shook the weathered_ _Bible towards the heavens "The great awakening is coming. Are you ready?"_

 _As she stumbled into the hallway, she cried out as she stumbled over something solid and soaking wet and landed on her hands and knees. As she moved to get back to her feet, she found her hands pressed against a hard chest. She felt her head swoon as her gaze fell upon Matt's bruised and paled face. He had a bullet hole in the middle of his forehead and his blonde hair was caked with blood. His brilliant blue eyes which were usually filled with warmth was now lifeless and his mouth was left open forming a silent "O". Several feet away from the Sheriff's body was the rigid bodies of Caroline Forbes and Alaric Saltzman. The blonde vampire had a stake sticking out of her chest causing blood to drench her pretty yellow blouse and Alaric his neck was snapped causing his head to twist at an odd angle. Her hand flew to her mouth trying to suppress the sob that was threatening to escape. Scrambling to her feet, she fought the urge to scream. The images was so jarring and horrific, that Bonnie felt her stomach lurch and clearing the staircase, she ran into one of the rooms upstairs and vomited in a crystal vase._

 _"You can't save them, Bonnie," a soft feminine voice caressed her ear, "They have gone to a place where you cannot possibly follow."_

 _Blinking back tears Bonnie stood up and whirled around to address her latest visitor who was none other then Elena herself._

 _Elena was sitting in a chair that stood six feet high on top of a cushioned seat that spanned a full yard. It's immense claw feet rise, flanked by winged creatures and regal sentinels gave off a haunting and dark disposition. She was wearing a black Tulle sequin beaded sweetheart mermaid dress and her hair fell around her shoulders pin straight and luxurious. She was the picture of unspoiled perfection. Behind the massive chair stood Damon and Stefan who wore blank and apathetic expression on their faces. They were shirtless and barefooted and wore nothing but tight black trousers. The cold look in their eyes chilled Bonnie to the bone, and she forced herself to tear her eyes away from their faces and instead focused quietly doppelganger in front of her._

 _"Why?" Bonnie asked brokenly, "Why did you do all of this? Why did you destroy everyone we cared about?"_

 _"You thought that you could take what belongs to me," she said quietly, her voice calm and deceptively sweet, "You thought that you would take my place and command the loyalty, the affection, the respect of the two men that I had first."_

 _Bonnie shook her head confused. "I don't know what you are talking about Elena. I would never betray you."_

 _Elena smiled gently._

 _"You are a lot of things, Bon, but you were never a great liar," she said softly, her face filled with sadness. "I know that you have feelings for them. You can lie to yourself, but you could never lie to me."_

 _She rose from her dark throne and slowly advanced towards Bonnie. The air became thinner and colder with each step that she took. "Everything that will happened is the result of your blind loyalty to me...to Damon. To Mystic Falls."_

 _Bonnie felt light headed and confused. Closing the distance between them, Bonnie reached down and grabbed Elena's hands in hers. They were surprisingly soft and warm._

 _"I can still save them," she said hoarsely, "I can still save you."._

 _Elena laughed gaily, and the sound was pleasant and familiar that it caused Bonnie's heart to twist in her chest. Snatching her hand out of her grip, Elena looked over her shoulder and smiled in the Salvatore's direction._

 _"Subdue her, my loves."_

 _Before Bonnie could blink, Stefan had his arm link through one of her arms, and Damon had mirrored the same action. Both brothers mechanically placed a hand on her shoulder forcing her down to her knees._

 _Bonnie struggled to shrug them off, but felt her vision blur as the air to her lungs became severely constricted. It took her several seconds to realize Elena was strangling her._

 _"You are weak, helpless and desperate. Desperate to be loved. Desperate to be good enough. Desperate to be needed." She said her voice brittle and hard. Bonnie tried to speak, but was unable to as Elena's finger tightened around her windpipe. "You will always be the sad little girl trapped in my shadow. Never moving forward and always willing to serve at my leisure. How does it feel to be so embarrassingly pathetic?"_

 _"Elena, please," Bonnie choked violently, "You don't have to do this."_

 _"Everything that you have witnessed here shall come to past and there is nothing that you can do to stop it, and do you want to know why?"_

 _she whispered cupping Bonnie's face in her hands, her brown eyes sparkling with unshed tears, "Because you need to learn your lesson. Your sacrifices mean nothing. Your loyalty means nothing. You mean nothing."_

 _Damon and Stefan releases Bonnie and rejoin Elena standing proudly by her side while glowering down at her coldly. Bonnie trembled as her hands flew up to cradle her bruised throat._

 _"The great awakening is coming," she murmured triumphantly, "Are you ready?"_

 _#_

Bonnie's eyes snapped open and she sat up in her bed gasping and trembling uncontrollably. The angry red numbers on the alarm clock sitting on the dresser read 11:56. She had been asleep for six minutes, but the vision had felt like she had been sleeping for hours. Glancing down at the slumbering vampire next to her, she breathed a deep sigh of relief when she realized that she hadn't woke him. Moving gingerly, she laid back down and stared up at the ceiling feeling her heart race a million miles a minute inside of her chest. Bonnie didn't want to believe that what she had witness in the vision would actually come to pass, but she knew better than to ignore the warnings. Why did Tyler, Anna, and Pastor Young appear to her to warn her about Elena and the Salvatore brothers? What did they mean when they mean that a great awakening was coming? How was it possible that so much chaos, loss and destruction would come by the hands of people who she cared about and who cared about her? None of it made any sense and the entire thing was leaving Bonnie with conflicting feelings. Feeling her eyes grow heavy, she drifted back into a deep sleep, but as she tossed and turned she was consumed of nightmares of Elena, blood and death.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Okay. I know chapter seven was a weird but it will make sense later on in the story. I promise.**

#

 _ **Later that night at the Boarding House**_

 _Will this night ever end,_ Matt wondered to himself unhappily as he made his way up the driveway leading to the Salvatore's Boarding House. It was pushing close to midnight and the weary sheriff was in desperate need of a stiff drink and a good night's sleep. He was officially off the clock, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to get any rest until he talked to Damon about the missing woman who turned up dead earlier that evening. Twisting the knob on the door, he boldly let himself in. Anyone who was in the supernatural circle and was on talking terms with the Salvatore vampires knew that the open door policy was limited a very small group of people, and fortunately, Matt was in that group. As he closed the door behind him and made his way towards the living room, his ears were greeted with the sound of Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" echoing through the halls. He fought the urge to roll his eyes as he ventured deeper into the obscenely large Manor. Crossing the threshold into the living room, his fought the urge to burst out laughing as he watched Damon, who had his eyes clothes gyrating his hips to the music as he dance around the pool table with a glass of Bourbon in one hand and a pool stick in the other. He was wearing a grey t-shirt that clung to his chest and equally tight jean pants with black leather boots. Watching the vampire mouth the words to a pop icon while casually engaging in a lonely game of pool made Damon look normal, but Matt knew more than anyone else that looks could be incredibly deceiving. Damon had his moments where he could be carefree and fun, but he also was known for being impulsive, dangerous and murderous which bought Matt back to the reason why he was at the Boarding House in the first place.

Sensing that he had an unexpected visitor, Damon peeled one eye open and grinned as he found Mystic Falls sheriff starring at him with amusement and annoyance on his youthful face.

"I don't recall ordering a stripper gram," Damon joked lazily as he took a healthy gulp of the liquor in his crystal tumbler, "But by all means, if the spirit moves you, feel free to shake your money maker."

The blue eyed vampire waggled his eyebrows suggestively before returning to his pool game. Matt shook his head exasperated and folded his arms across his chest. Any other day he wouldn't have been bothered by Damon's defective personality, but after the night he had, the former quarter back simply wasn't in the mood.

"You know what your problem is Damon?" the blonde started.

The man in question shot the solid orange ball in the far right pocket before sighing heavily.

"Let me guess. I drink too much? I'm too good looking? My house and certain parts of my anatomy are too big?" he ticked off on his long and slender fingers.

Matt sucked his teeth and rolled his eyes as he tried not to let his irritation show.

"Your problem, Damon, is that you think that everything is a fucking joke.

" Well it's not," he spat coldly.

"I just spent most of the night cleaning up _your_ mess. That missing woman that you so casually slaughtered was discovered in the woods by kids. Kids who are severely traumatized by the way." Damon frowned as he turned his full attention towards the former quarterback. "What are you talking about, Donovan? I didn't kill anyone."

"So I'm suppose to believe that Georgina tore herself into little pieces and wrapped herself in _your_ Persian carpet before disposing herself in the woods?" he asked flatly.

Hearing Georgina's name made alarm bells go off in Damon's head.

Georgina was the woman he had met a few days ago at the bar and had taken home with plans to feed from her. Unfortunately for the poor woman, Sybil had interrupted his meal and in a fit of jealousy, she had torn helpless Georgina apart before turning her rage on to him and lodging her stiletto in his back. He was about to tell Matt the truth behind Georgina's death, but something struck him as odd. There were other vampires lurking within the borders of Mystic Falls, but for some reason, he singled him out and Damon couldn't help but feel slightly offended. He knew he had a past of being a cold blooded killer, but as of lately, he only killed to keep Cade off his back and if it was absolutely necessary. Killing for sport was no longer a favorite past time of his and Damon was somewhat pissed that Matt was refusing to see that he had changed for the better.

"Riddle me this, Matt man," Damon drawled lazily, "Why do you automatically assume that it was _me_ that murdered Georgina? Why couldn't it be Caroline? She may look all prim and proper but blondie can be a messy feeder."

Matt scoffed as he walked to the opposite end of the pool table and braced his hands on the wooden edge before leaning forward with a knowing look on his face.

"I know it wasn't Caroline, because Caroline is my friend and she doesn't _kill_ people and bury them in the woods," he growled.

"Fine," Damon sighed exasperated, "I will admit to burying the chick in the woods but I didn't kill her or dismember her. Cybil gets the credit for that. Bitches be crazy."

Matt stared at him suspiciously. "Yeah, right. Like I am suppose to take your word for that."

"Believe what you want," Damon snapped no longer in a playful mood. He slammed the pool stick down on the table violently causing Matt to jump startled.

"I didn't kill that woman. I simply disposed of her body. I get that you want to stand here with your little badge filled with righteous indignation pretending to be the champion of justice, but you are barking up the wrong tree, brother. "

It was in that moment that Matt was grateful that he didn't have any access to wooden bullets or a well sharpened urge to strike Damon down was so strong, it had the sheriff seeing red.

"You act like that woman was a nobody. She had a name. It was Georgina. Georgina has people who loved her and is grieving for her."

Damon could hear the emotion in Matt's voice and his frown deepened. "People die every day, Donovan. Why are you taking her death so personally?"

"It's because of the way you discard people, Damon. You literal have no respect for us mere mortals," he breathed angrily. "You didn't have respect for Georgina. You didn't have respect for Vicky. Yu didn't have respect for Tyler..."

Damon eyes widened and seconds later he was in the sheriff's face with a dangerous look in his wild blue eyes. "So this is the root of the issue between me and you, Matt? Are you still sulking over the fact that I prematurely ended your bromance with the mutt? Are you still resenting the fact that I killed your sister? I admit that I have made my fair share of mistakes, but I'm not Stefan. I'm not going to spend the rest of my life being self loathing and pathetic. I have done bad things and you need to learn to get over it! Now if you are done rehashing the past, your time would be better spent making sure that Georgina's death isn't linked back to me. Stop pouting and do your damn job."

As Damon turned to walk back to the pool table, he could practically feel the sheriff glaring daggers in his back.

"Why should I clean up your mess, Damon," Matt inquired bitterly, "Is this why you keep me and Bonnie around. You think that we are nothing more than useful little humans who you can just use to make inconvenient problems disappear?"

Damon smiled coldly as he faced the other man with a deadly look in his eyes. If this was anyone else giving him a hard time, he would have been ripped their heart out, but unfortunately for him, this was someone that Bonnie cared about. She may have forgiven him for killing Tyler, but he knew that she would _never_ forgive him for killing Matt.

"I keep Bonnie around because I _like_ her. She's my friend, my drinking partner, and she keeps me from doing impulsive things like breaking people's neck when they get on my nerve. I keep _you_ around because our mutual friends would get all sad and judgey if I disposed of you. Now you can continue to stand there and continue to bitch about your feelings or you can go out there and make sure that this town remains ignorance to the presence of everything that goes bump in the night. Make no mistake, Donovan, if you fail to do your job and my little secret is discovered, they aren't just going to come after me and Stefan," he warned acidly.

"Oh no. They are going to go after blondie, her munchkins, Bonnie and they are going to after you. When they find out you knew that there were vampires and witches running amuck and you sat back and covered it up, they are going to string you up right along with us."

Matt was practically seething as he glowered at the smirking vampire, but deep down he knew that Damon was right. He didn't have any other choice but to cover it up. Exposing Caroline, her daughters and Bonnie as supernatural was not a risk he was willing to take. Despite everything that had happened over the years, Caroline and Bonnie were the only family that he had left and he wasn't about to let the Founder's Counsel or anyone else jeopardize their wellbeing.

"I will take care of the body and the investigation, but I'm warning you. This is the last time. I am _done_ cleaning up after you and Stefan. I am _done_ letting you drag me, Caroline, Bonnie and everyone else down because you can't seem to ever stay out of trouble. I'm _done._ It's time for me to stop caring whether or not your secret is safe and start worrying about keeping this town protected," Matt growled angrily.

Before Damon could say another word, the seething Sheriff before stormed out of the Boarding House and slammed the door firmly behind him.

#

Stefan was making his way up the driveway leading to the Boarding House when he spotted Matt Donovan storming out the front door. He opened his mouth to greet him, but the pissed of Sheriff blew past him muttering curses under his breath. Sliding inside of his car, the vehicle roared to life angrily before Matt backed out of the driveway and went flying down the road obviously desperate to get far away from the Boarding House as possible. Stefan smirked as he realized that there was only one person who could cause that kind of anguish in a person before sending them running and screaming for the hills and that person was his not so likeable brother, Damon Salvatore. Breezing through the open door, Stefan made his way into the living room where he found Damon clutching the edges of the pool table while starring off in the distance, his pale face pinched with tension.

"Hey, I just passed Donovan on the way in. He didn't look too happy, but I guess that is what happens when you lower your standards and associate with a low life such as yourself," Stefan sneered as he glowered at the brooding dark haired vampire who simply rolled his eyes in response.

"Just when I didn't think my night could get any worse. What the hell are you doing here?" Damon snapped as he faced his brother with his arms folded across his chest.

Stefan shrugged as he made his way over to the wet bar and poured himself a drink. The truth was that after the night Stefan had, all he wanted was a stiff drink, a hot shower and a good night's rest in his own bed. "I live here Damon. I don't need a reason to come and go as I please."

As he brushed past Damon, the elder Salvatore brother wrinkled his nose as he caught an unique mixture of scents wafting off Stefan's clothes. He reeked of fresh dirt, smoke, sweat and...something all too familiar.

"You look like shit. Where have you been?

" Damon asked observing Stefan curiously.

"I was out helping a friend out of a tight jam," he said cryptically as he reached up and brushed the remaining dirt and leaves out of his hair.

Damon eyes widened when he realize the familiar scent on Stefan was Bonnie. "Helping out a friend, huh? Why do you smell like Bonnie?"

Stefan could hear the suspicion lurking in Damon's voice and he forced himself not to laugh in Damon's face. Making his way over to the fire place, he stared into the flames before taking a sip of Bourbon causing his lips to pull back exposing his brilliant white teeth. "Maybe because she was the friend I was helping out. Do I really have to spell out the obvious?"

Abandoning his pool game, Damon rolled the eight ball into the nearest corner pocket before joining his brother in front of the fire place.

"Why would Bonnie need your help?" he pressed warily.

The caramel haired vampire smiled deviously. "You tell me Damon. Why don't you stand there with that constipated look on your face and wrap your mind around all the different possibilities and come to your own conclusion?"

Damon stared at Stefan feeling his hand tingle with the urge to smack the smug smile off his brother's face. If Stefan had been with Bonnie, he knew that something bad had to have happen. Did Stefan provide an encore to his stunt from a week ago and kissed her again? Did he hurt her? Was she safe? All of these questions raced through his mind as he reached into his back pants pocket and retrieved his phone.

"What are you doing?" Stefan asked arching an busy eyebrow inquisitively.

"I'm calling Bonnie to make sure she is alright," Damon informed as he glared at him with contempt flashing in his pale blue eyes.

Stefan sighed heavily and grabbed the phone out of his brother's hand before tossing it on the couch. "It's late and she needs her rest, Damon. She had a little run in with Cade and I happen to find her in the middle of the woods and I helped her find her way back to her car. I was nothing but a perfect gentleman and she is fine. There is no need to wake her up with a pointless interrogation."

Damon had stopped listening to Stefan after his brother had uttered Cade's name. The thought of the ruler of the underworld being anywhere near Bonnie made Damon see red and he felt his fangs extract smoothly causing Stefan to instinctively take a couple of steps backwards.

Damon closed his eyes, desperate to gain his composure.

"What the hell does he want with her?" he asked when he managed to find his voice again.

Stefan shrugs. "Who knows? Bonnie wasn't exactly forthcoming about their little conversation, and I didn't really care enough to push. I warned her to keep her distance from him, but you know Bonnie. She's going to do what she wants if she means saving the people she cares about," Stefan smirked, "And as it turns out, she is interested in saving me."

Damon snorted rudely.

"She only cares about you because you are my brother and the guy that vampire Barbie is in love with. She wants to save you because of _us._ Not because she is invested in you personally," the raven haired vampire sniped coolly.

Stefan felt his haughty smile slowly slip from his lips and his eyes darkening noticeably as he drained the rest of the Bourbon from the crystal tumbler. Caroline had said something similar to him days earlier and it was annoying that Damon shared her same opinion. His ex lover and his idiotic brother were so arrogant to think that the only reason Bonnie would want to save him was because of her loyalty to them. It never occurred to them that Bonnie actually saw him as someone worth saving. He had seen the conviction in her eyes when he had cornered her in the dressing room a week ago, and earlier that night she had confirmed her steely resolution by reluctantly calling him her friend. When it came to Bonnie's reasons to save him, Caroline and Damon were wrong and Stefan couldn't wait to prove it.

"I guess we will have to wait and see if that's true, now won't we?" Stefan said stiffly.

"No, because you are going to stay away from her or else," Damon warned quietly.

"Are you attempting to _threaten_ me, Damon?" Stefan inquired amused.

"No. I'm just giving you a friendly reminder to keep your blood and your tongue to yourself," he snapped.

Stefan crossed one arm over his chest while using his free hand to stroke his chin thoughtfully as he slowly closed the distance between him and a clearly agitated Damon.

"Not to bring up the past, but I do recall you giving your blood and putting your tongue in Elena's mouth when she was still my girlfriend. Last time I checked, you have no claims to Bonnie so why are you so concerned about the parts of myself that I chose to put inside of her?"

Damon bristled as Stefan's statement came across as dirty and sexual. The last thing he wanted to think about when he thought about his brother and Bonnie was sex. He was annoyed that Stefan was attempting to justify his actions by reminding Damon of his less than innocent pass with Elena. While it was true that Bonnie wasn't his girlfriend, Damon still felt the need to protect her from whatever dark and disgusting intentions Stefan had towards her.

"You're right, Stefan. Bonnie isn't my girlfriend, but unlike you, I actually give a damn about her," he breathed angrily as he glowered at his brother, "Believe it or not, she is actually happy with Enzo. She loves him and he loves her. In fact he loves her so much that he plans on taking the cure for her and they are going to ride off into the sunset and be perfectly human together. It's my job as her best friend to see that nothing gets in the way of that which is _why_ I am telling you one time, and one time only. Back the hell off!"

Stefan stared up at Damon frowning. "Your posturing is endearing and oddly noble, but come on Damon. It's me. I know you better than anyone. You say that you want Bonnie to be happy, but there is a part of you that doesn't want Enzo to take the cure," he said slyly.

Damon scowled as he backed away from his brother slowly. He wasn't liking the direction that this conversation was heading.

Instead of admitting that Stefan had struck a nerve with his observation, the dark haired vampire decided to go with plausible deniability. "I don't know what the hell you are talking about."

Stefan lowered himself down on to the couch smirking at Damon who was trying his best to look nonchalant.

"I'm talking about the fact that if Enzo takes the cure, he will take Bonnie far away from this god forsaken town. We both know that you are too selfish to allow that to happen, so you can stand there and lecture me about not ruining Bonnie's happily ever after, but if you actually cared about her happiness, you would support Enzo taking the cure. Tell me, brother, when exactly did you give the little happy couple your blessing on starting on this new journey in their relationship?" he asked innocently.

Damon felt a lump form in his throat. Stefan always had a way of seeing right through him.

"Just because I'm not thrilled about the fact that Enzo is going to take Bonnie away from the only place that she had ever called home does not mean that I don't want her to be happy. I just want her to be happy _here_ in Mystic Falls without you interfering in her relationship," he said evenly, his pale face twisting in annoyance.

"Between Enzo wanting to make a life long commitment to her and Cade taking an creepy interest in her, Bonnie has a lot on her plate. The last thing she needs is a vampire with a serious lack of control trying to push up on her."

Stefan heard the thinly veiled jealousy in his brother's voice and rolled his eyes. He could admit that he wanted Bonnie to get her happily ever after and that his inference with her relationship wasn't exactly honorable, but there had always been this weird chemistry between them. It was subtle and had gone unnoticed for far too long, but it was undeniable. He had known it from the moment way back when Bonnie had given him Elena's number and had saw him for who he truly was. Beneath the fear and the uncertainty had been a spark. A feeling of curiosity, attraction and something indescribable. He had ignored it in favor of pursuing Elena, but now that Elena was no longer an issue and Enzo being relatively new in Bonnie's life, Stefan had every intentions of turning that spark into a full on inferno.

"You do know that this thing between me and Bonnie isn't exactly one sided, right?"

Stefan pointed out as he intertwined his fingers behind his head and slouched back on the couch crossing one ankle over the other, "I mean, you were there when I kissed her. We both know that the smell of her blood wasn't the only thing lingering in the air after I walked away."

Damon tightened the grip on his empty crystal tumbler causing a small fracture to imprint in the glass. He turned his chilling gaze on to Stefan feeling the overwhelming temptation to snap his neck. "Watch it, brother. If you keep talking like that, this pool stick may end up in a very interesting place."

Stefan slowly ran his tongue across his teeth fighting back a grin as he ignored Damon's violent threat.

"I'm curious, Damon. What's the real reason that you are bothered by my sudden interest in Bonnie? Are you worried that my endgame is to hurt her, or are you worried that she might actually reciprocate my interest and destroy any chance you may think that you have with her?"

Damon flinched physically as if he had just been slapped. His nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed.

"You really should learn to check your delusions at the door, brother," he growled.

"First of all, Bonnie is not desperate enough to fall for someone who has been with not only one but two of her best friends. Secondly, I don't think I have a chance with her because I'm not in love with her. I'm in love with Elena. You remember her, right? The girl who you thought was _your_ epic love before she actually saw the light and chose the better brother?"

Damon knew the moment the words left his lips that they had been harsh and cruel, but Stefan had provoked him. A tense silence fell between the two brothers and Damon sighed wearily. He knew that he was wrong for what he said, but his pride and his ego refused to let him apologize.

Surprisingly, Stefan rose from the couch and stood in the middle of the living room looking unbothered.

"Elena is old news," he sighed, "We both have had our tickets punched on that ride." Damon made a face." Bonnie on the other hand...She is a different story. She is an enigma. She is unexplored territory," Stefan said goading him with a wicked gleam in his eyes as he took another sip of Bourbon. "I mean, be honest. You had to at least think about it once or twice."

"Think about what?" Damon asked evenly. Stefan smiled as his eyes darkened noticeably.

"Think about how it would feel to explore every inch of that tight little body of hers. How she would taste when she falls apart on your tongue." The dark haired vampire found it hard to swallow as the images Stefan described began to slowly creep into his mind. "The face she would make once you hit all of her little sweet spots..." Stefan never got a chance to finish his musings.

One second Stefan was vocalizing his fantasies aloud, and the next second he found himself slammed against the wall with Damon's hand around his throat.

"Stop. Talking." the elder vampire brother warned quietly. His blue eyes flashed wildly and his voice hard and coldly.

Stefan chuckled darkly as a pair of amused forest green eyes clashed with blue eyes filled with fury.

"What's the matter, Damon?" he murmured, "You seem flustered. Does the thought of Bonnie being thoroughly _fucked_ get you hot and bothered?"

Damon licked his lips subconsciously as he tried to block out the X rated images of Bonnie pouring through his mind.

Stefan wasn't wrong. Damon had thought about what it would be like to fuck Bonnie and each time the treacherous thoughts would fill his head, he was reminded how wrong and twisted it was to even imagine such a thing. There were nights where he would get lonely in his bed and Bonnie's innocent face would pop up in his fantasies followed closely by a raging erection. Every time it happened, it felt like his biggest sin and his worst betrayal.

"You're disgusting," Damon mumbled no longer able to hold his brother's gaze.

Seeing the guilty look on Damon's face made Stefan smirk arrogantly.

"I'm pot," the caramel haired vampire taunted huskily, "Nice to meet you kettle."

Damon tense and he felt the urge to wipe the smug smile off of his brother's face. He knew that Stefan was just pressing his buttons looking for an reaction, but Damon wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of losing his cool. Instead he plastered on a smile on his face before releasing Stefan. Seconds later, they were standing toe to toe and nose to nose.

"Bonnie is off limits, Stefan," Damon warned coldly, his warm breath fanning across his Stefan's cheek. "If you keep pushing the issue, then you and I are going to have a problem."

Stefan sized Damon up slowly and deliberately before a smile bloomed across his lips.

"Since you were so kind to give me a friendly reminder earlier, let me give you one in return. Whatever happens between Bonnie and I isn't any of your concern. Do yourself a favor and stay out of it."

Damon narrowed his eyes as he felt his body coil with tension.

"Enjoy the rest of your night," Stefan murmured brushing past him before making his way upstairs leaving Damon starring after him murderously.

 **End Note: But wait...there's more! On to the next chapter.**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: I probably should have broken this up into two chapters, but the simple fact is that I didn't want to. *channels sassy Veronica Mars attitude* Sue me lol. Anyhoo. Enjoy.**

#

 _Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

Bonnie eyes slowly peeled open at the sound of her alarm clock shrieking loudly. It was a little past ten and she was still extremely tired. The vision had replayed itself in her dreams non stop all night leaving her mentally and physically drained. Sighing heavily, she rolled over and slammed her hand across the snooze button before rolling over to go back to sleep. Unfortunately for her, the vampire lying next to her had other plans. She groaned as she felt his lips begin to nibble on her ear lobe while his hand began to trail down her body slowly.

"Knock it off, babe. I'm trying to sleep," she chuckled softly as she swatted away the sneaky hand that found it's way underneath her right breast.

"I'm hungry," he complained hoarsely, nuzzling his face into the curve of his neck. She sighed amused as she felt his fang graze a sensitive part of her skin located over a pressure point. "You know good and damn well that there are blood bags in the fridge." He growled causing her to giggle quietly. "And you know good and damn well that I am not talking about drinking blood. I'm talking about eating you."

Bonnie rolled over and was about to plead for one more hour of uninterrupted sleep when she suddenly found herself unable to speak due to the fact Enzo had shoved his tongue in her mouth. She was mortified as she thought about her funky morning breath, but either he was oblivious to it, or he simply didn't care. Slowly Bonnie began to melt into the kiss allowing him to pull her on top of him where she could feel his eager erection pressed against her bare stomach. She was debating whether or not to lose her panties when the sound of her cell phone ringing caused her to break their kiss.

"Don't even think about answering that phone," he warned huskily as his hand slid down her back before resting on her firm buttocks. Bonnie grinned deviously before reaching over and grabbing the cell phone off of her nightstand. She was surprised to find Caroline's perky face flashing across the screen. _Why the hell was she calling her so early?_

"Hello?" she mumbled sleepily. There was a pregnant pause. "Bonnie Bennett, you better not still be in bed!" Caroline's screechy voice came through the other end of the phone. "You were suppose to be here over an hour ago!" Bonnie frowned as she sat up and rubbed the crust out of the corners of her eye. "I'm suppose to be where?" Bonnie winced and held the phone away from her ear as Caroline screeching reached a feverish pit. "I can't believe you forgot! You promised me that you would help me with the crime prevention event. McGruff the crime dog is coming to speak to the kids about being upstanding citizens and you agreed you would be in charge of the face painting." Bonnie slapped her palm across her forehead as she swore softly. With all the supernatural drama that she had been dealing with she had completely forgotten that she had committed to helping Caroline run the event weeks ago. "I'm so sorry, Caroline. I completely forgot."

"Instead of apologizing, get your ass out of bed and get down here. The event is going to start in five hours, and there is so much stuff to be done," she whined before lowering her phone from her mouth to bark orders at some poor person in the back ground. Bonnie rolled her eyes amused and shook her head while Enzo stared at the phone wide eyed. Caroline was sweet, blonde and a picture of innocence, but when it came to organizing and planning events, she was known to be a bit of a demonic control freak.

"Give me an hour and I'll be on my way," Bonnie promised as she reluctantly made her way out of her bed and padded barefooted towards the bathroom. "Make it forty five minutes and bring coffee." Click. The line went dead. Bonnie sighed and tossed the phone on the bathroom sink. Waking up to the sound of Caroline's loud and disapproving voice was the last thing she had expected given the night that she had. The vision had replayed in her mind the entire time that she had slept and it left her feeling restless, frightened and exhausted. Looking at her reflection, she was aghast to find dark circles residing under eyes.

"Care if I join you, darling?" he inquired as he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tight to his hard and taunt body. Bonnie stood on her toes and placed a kiss on his lips. "As much as I would love to have a shower quickie, I don't have time. If I'm not down at the police station within the hour, Caroline is going to cut me."

Enzo frowned concerned. "I know that you love her, but why do you let her boss you around like that? You two aren't teenagers anymore. You are grown women. You can say no if you wanted to."

Bonnie sighed. "In our group, Elena was always the popular one, I was always the peace keeper and Caroline was the leader. I think that taking charge makes her feel in control and even though it use to drive me crazy, I have learned to live with it. If acting neurotic helps her maneuver through life more easily, who am I to complain?"

Enzo sighed rolling his eyes and retreating from the bathroom. "Just let the little blonde know that if she interrupts my meal again, she will have to make it up to me by joining us."

"Keep dreaming, mister." Bonnie wrinkled her nose as she threw her bra at his back causing him to laugh.

After she finished disrobing, she climbed into the shower hissing as the steam hit her face. As the hot water cascaded down her body, a small moan escaped Bonnie's lips as she felt her tense muscles begin to relax. Closing her eyes, she forced herself not to think about the visions that had replayed over in her head all night, and instead chose to focus on her late night chat with Stefan in the woods. Despite the fact that they had a lot of issues to work out, she was sort of happy that he was there for her after her run in with Cade. He may have been obnoxious and slightly irritating, but it was nice to see beneath his rough exterior was a glimpse of the Stefan that she had use to know and care about. Reaching for her loofah and soap, she began to lather up humming softly to herself as she closed her eyes. She begin to think about what Enzo had tried to start that morning and a smile slowly crept across her lips. She imagined him disappearing beneath the covers and slowly slipping off her underwear and slowly kissing the space between her legs. She bit her bottom lip as she tossed her head back and imagined all the ways his wicked tongue would bring her to completion. Then as he slowly crawled from the covers, he planted a kiss on her belly button before...

As the face emerged from beneath the covers, she felt her breath catch. Instead of starring into the face of Enzo, she was imagining Stefan's green eyes boring into hers with his mouth wet from her release. He slowly crawled his way up her body and was preparing to kiss her when...

"It's Stefan."

Her eyes snapped open and she dropped her loofah as she heard Enzo say the younger Salvatore's name. Pulling back the shower curtain, she found the Augustine vampire starring at her with a curious smile on his lips and her phone in her hand.

"W-what did you say?" she squeaked, her wet breast heaving up and down rapidly.

"Stefan was calling you and left you a message. He wanted to check in and make sure you were doing okay," Enzo informed with a smile. "I guess he really is turning over a new leaf. It's nice to know that Damon's brother isn't a lost cause after all."

Bonnie forced a weak smile as she cut off the shower and quickly exited the shower. Grabbing the towel off the rack, she wrapped it around her body all the while forcing the guilt and horror she had felt at fantasizing about Stefan while she had been touching her body. Forcing the deceitful thoughts to the back of her mind, she dried off and quickly got dressed.

Minutes later, she jogged down the stairs and entered into the kitchen where she found Enzo busy packing his day trip bag filled with blood bags and Funyons.

"Where are you heading off to?" she asked curiously as she filled her travel mug with coffee. Enzo drained his coffee cup of the lukewarm blood before licking traces of it off his lips. "Alaric and Dorian are at the Armory and I figured I would drop in and see what they were up to. After all, I do have the responsibility of making sure the place stays secure and the day to day operations are running smoothly." Bonnie smiled as she kissed the tip of his nose. "The working man look is a good look on you."

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Bonnie asked curiously. Enzo shrugged nonchalantly as he slouched down in his chair with a devious smile on his lips. "Am I not allowed to admire just how beautiful you truly are?" he asked causing her to blush lightly.

"I don't want you to feel like I'm pressuring you or trying to control the direction in which this relationship is headed," he admitted softly. He fumbled with his empty cup before continuing nervously, "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me and I just want to spend the rest of my life with you. If that means spending the rest of my life with you as a human, great. If it means that spending the rest of my life with you as a vampire...well that's okay too. Just as long as I have you by my side, nothing else really matters."

Hearing his words filled with love and sincerity made Bonnie's heart swell inside of her chest and she felt guilty for not being able to give Enzo a clear answer on what it was that she actually wanted. She knew that she loved him and that she saw a future with him, but taking the cure was a big step and that meant that he would give up something very rare and precious to be with her. He would be giving up his immortality and she wasn't sure if she wanted him to do that. If Enzo became human, that mean things would change. Enzo would want to start a family which Bonnie would become a mother. Bringing children into a world filled with so much evil and darkness was the last thing Bonnie wanted to do. Her entire life, she had dreamed of meeting the perfect guy, falling in love and living happily every after, but nowhere in that picture had she ever saw herself being a mother and she was afraid that if she told him that, he would look at her differently.

Clearing her throat, she smiled softly before reaching across the table and covering his hand with her own. "With everything that is going on around her, I don't think that now is a good time to make any permeant decision concerning our relationship. Maybe once everything cools down, we can revisit this conversation and really talk about our future."

Enzo's face lit up as he grinned. Lifting her hand, he bent down and pressed several kisses across her knuckles. "Fair enough love."

Their eyes met and they shared a brief moment of tenderness before Bonnie's phone chirp breaking the spell that had fallen between them. Bonnie rolled her eyes laughing as she reluctantly released Enzo's hand and rose from the table. "I should get going before Caroline sends some poor minion of hers to find me."

Enzo laughed as he rose from the table and grabbed his coat. "I need to head out as well."

The vampire and the witch exited the house laughing softly as they made their way to their respective vehicles.

"I love you," Enzo murmured as he gently grazed her cheek with her knuckles. "No matter what happens with Cade, no matter what you decide you want me to do about the cure, nothing will change the fact that I love you, Bonnie Bennett. ." Bonnie felt her heart flutter in her chest as she lifted herself up on her toes before kissing him warmly on the mouth. "I love you too."

As they couple headed in opposite directions, neither of them were aware that someone had been watching them from a distance with a sinister smile.

#

Damon whistled cheerfully as he jogged up the stairs leading into city hall. After his earlier chat with Matt Donovan, Damon thought that he would be proactive and take the matters involving the Founder's Counsel into his own hands. Walking into the building, he made a bee line to the receptionist desk sitting near an broken down water fountain.

"May I help you, sir?" the young blonde asked shyly as she subconsciously threaded her French manicured nails through her shoulder length hair as she batted her long eyelashes at Damon. She wasn't the kind of attractive that was in your face, but he could admit that he found her slightly crooked smile and large eyes quirky and cute. All he had to do was apply the slightest bit of charm and Damon was confident that she would be putty in his hands. Clearing his throat softly, Damon leaned on the counter and flashed the receptionist his most dazzling smile. "Hi. My name is Damon and I have a couple of issues that I would like to bring to the Mayor elect's attention. Is there any possible way that you could point me in the direction of his office."

"I'm afraid not. In order for you to see Mayor Elect, you would need an appointment scheduled through his chief of staff," she said apologetic.

For a brief moment, Damon was tempted to compel her, but given the fact that Founder's Counsel were in process of taking measures to eradicate vampire's from the town, the receptionist's blood was probably already laced with vervain.

"Hey Trixie. Do you mind calling my old lady and telling her I'm working late? If she finds out that I'm having another late night poker game with the boys, she is going to skin me alive." Damon looked up to find Mayor Elect locking up his office as he made his way towards the exit of the building.

"Of course. Sir, this man was actually looking to speak to you. Maybe you can squeeze him in before you leave?" Trixie asked hopefully. Brody Sharp sized Damon up and down before flashing a bright smile. "Of course! I can always find time to speak with my constituents. What can I do you for, son?"

Damon's head reeled slightly from the heavy southern accent before he extended his hand. "My name is Damon Salvatore and I was hoping to speak to you on a very sensitive matter."

The Mayor-Elect nodded before leading Damon back to his office and closing the door behind them securing their privacy.

"Damon Salvatore," he drawled rolling the vampire's last name across his tongue slowly as he leaned against his desk, "That's an interesting last name. Is it Spanish or something?"

Damon forced himself not to sneer in the face of the other man's ignorance. Instead, he plastered on a smile and leaned forward in his chair. "Actually it's Italian. My ancestors came over by boat and help found this town." Brody eyes lit up. "So your people are the ones I have to thank for fine wine and great pasta." Damon forced smile became strained. He was willing to bet that the backwoods hick never had fine dining or fine way a day in his sheltered and pathetic life. He could clearly see why Matt didn't like the man. He was arrogant, rude, tacky and narrow minded. Many could argue that Damon shared the same unpleasant character traits, but at least on Damon, it was considered charming.

"Wow, so your family were one of the founding families in Mystic Falls. How about that? Good to see that good folks can come here legally from less fortunate parts of the world and make a decent name for yourself. Your people passed on quite a legacy," he whistled impressed.

"I was a member of the Founder's Counsel when it was up and running a few years back. Carol Lockwood and Elizabeth Forbes entrusted the town's safety to me and when it came to getting rid of things that goes bump in the night, I

"I figured that Donovan knew more than what he was letting on and was just keeping me out of the loop. For some reason that kid seems to not like me or trust me," he said scratching his head confused.

"When it comes to this town, Donovan is kind of territorial," Damon said before leaning forward with a conspiratorial look in his eyes, "Between you and I, I think he does a great job in protecting this town from your run of the mill criminals, but when it comes to the more darker deviants, I think Donovan is out of his league."

The Mayor Elect nodded with a somber look on his face. "I have people starting to asks me questions that I can't answer and the last thing I want is for panic to break loose once people discover that vampires are lurking within our borders feasting on our virgins and spreading their debauchery in our streets," he said sounding scared.

Damon smiled brightly. "I couldn't agree more. That's why I would suggest flooding the town's water with vervain and having a mandatory curfew for everyone. Vampires have an aversion to vervain and vampires can't enter homes without permission so if people are in before dark, they will be safe."

The Mayor Elect eyes widened in astonished. "You are a very knowledgeable young man."

Damon shrugged casually. "That's why I was Sheriff Forbes's right hand man." Rising from his chair, he smiled charmingly. "If you need any more assistance, I'll be around."

"Well I would be crazier than a gravy covered cat in a barn yard filled with blood hounds if I didn't take you up on your offer to have a place on the Founder's Counsel," the mayor elect grinned before rising from his seat behind his desk and extending his hand out towards Damon, "Welcome aboard, son." Damon released his hand and followed him towards the door. "Now if you don't mind, I have to get going, but I look forward to seeing you Sunday evening at the church for the meeting of the Counsel. I know it's short notice, but I hope that you will be able to make it," he said hopefully. Damon smirked. "I wouldn't miss it."

As the two men parted ways, Damon made his way to the parking lot lost deep in thought. If he played his cards right and manage to get the trust of the other members, he would be able to stay two steps ahead of the rookie members therefore keeping his existence a secret and making sure that people in his little supernatural circle remained safe from harm and persecution. As he made his way towards his blue corvette, he spied Bonnie's car parked several rows over and he smiled. If he was a betting man, he would guess that Caroline had found a way to rope his Bon Bon into volunteering for whatever event that was currently taking place in town square. As he neared her car, he found a piece of plastic bag tucked neatly beneath her window wipers.

Examining the bag closely, he frowned as he read the words splayed across the plastic. Pork rinds. What the hell? Why would someone shove this trash beneath Bonnie's window wipers? As he looked around the parking lot, he couldn't help but get a bad feeling. It was almost as if someone was watching him, but as he scanned the area, he could only see cops mingling with the towns people and children running to and fro from the bouncy houses to the snack stands. His eyes spotted Bonnie kneeling down in front of Josie painting her face with a brilliant smile on her face. He couldn't help but smile at the sight. He figured that he could spare a few minutes to talk to her before heading home. Tossing the empty bag of pork rinds to the ground, he shoved his hands in leather jacket pockets before heading in her direction.

#

"There. I'm all done." Bonnie held up a hand held mirror to Josie's face to show her the butterfly she had painted on her right cheek.

"Oh wow! It's so pretty!" the Gemini twin squealed happily as she grabbed the mirror and examine Bonnie's artwork closely. The butterfly was painted on her left cheek in a mixture of colors ranging from gold, black and hot pink. Those were all of Josie's favorite colors. As Bonnie used an portable air fan to help dry the art on the young girl's face, she was distracted when she spotted Caroline and her other daughter, Lizzie, making their way towards her hand in hand. She had painted Lizzie's face earlier and the bright red rose on her left cheek seemed to be holding strong. As the sisters admired each other's face paint, Caroline chuckled softly before staring at Bonnie with awe and quiet appreciation. "Is there anything that Bonnie Bennet can't do?" she inquired wryly.

Bonnie sighed heavily. "Apparently I can't give Enzo an answer to his proposal about him becoming human for me."

Caroline blinked surprised before a brilliant smile dance across her face. "Oh my gosh, Bonnie! That's huge. He is literally giving up immortality for you. That is so romantic. What are you waiting for?" Bonnie shifted uncomfortably as she began to place her paint brushes in cups of cold water to clean them. "There is something that I have been keeping from Enzo and I feel like if I told you how I really feel you might judge me." A look of surprise and hurt flashed across the blonde vampire's face. "Bonnie Bennett, you are like a sister to me. There is nothing you could tell me that would make me look at you any differently. You know that." Bonnie forced a tiny smile. "I don't want to be a mom."

"Is it because your mother abandoned you and you think that you wouldn't be mother material? If that is the case, you are crazy," Caroline exclaimed as she grabbed Bonnie's free hand and held it tightly in her own." You are one of the most loving and nurturing people that I know. You are kind, you are strong, you are incredibly protective. You would make an amazing mother."

Bonnie huffed frustrated as she withdrew her hand from Caroline's tight grip. "That's sweet of you to say, Care, but I simply don't _want_ to be a mother. I have zero desire to bring life into this world. I never saw myself having kids and I'm afraid that if I tell Enzo this, it will break his heart." A stunned silence fell between the two friends as Caroline quietly processed what Bonnie had just confessed to her. While she was prepared to support her friend in her decision, Caroline couldn't help but feel a little sad that Bonnie felt the way she felt. Growing up, she had always imagined that she would have kids that would end up being best friends with Bonnie and Elena's kids and that there would be another generation of Forbes, Bennett's and Gilberts to take on the world. It never once occurred to Caroline that Bonnie's dreams would be different from her own.

"Listen, sweetie. Enzo loves you. I know that having a family is a big deal for him, but he has to take in consideration of what you want. If he can't accept the fact that you are all the family that he needs, then maybe it's time for the two of you to reevaluate your relationship," she said gently. Bonnie nodded with a worried look on her face. "I just don't want to lose him, Caroline. I really love him." Caroline sighed softly before wrapping her arms around her shorter friend. She wanted Bonnie to be happy and it seemed like every single time she got close to having everything she wanted, something always seemed to get in her way.

"Don't look now, but Damon _effing_ Salvatore is making his way over here," Caroline mumbled frowning. Bonnie turned around and smiled as the blue eyed vampire swaggered over to them with a devil may care grin on his face. Teenage girls giggled as he walked by causing Bonnie to laugh amused and Caroline to roll her eyes exasperated. Both women have grown use to Damon's ridiculously good looks, but watching strangers fawn over them never ceased to amuse Bonnie and annoy the blonde vampire. "Hello ladies," he greeted them before winking at Josie and Lizzie. "Munchkins.

"What brings you by, Damon? This event is to teach children to avoid criminals. You being here is a classic case of irony," she sneered.

"I was just leaving city hall and I saw Bon Bon's car so I decided to stop in and see my bestie. Given everything she has been through last night, I wanted to make sure she was okay," Damon said casually, never once taking his eyes off of Bonnie who seemed to look uneasy and uncomfortable.

Caroline's brow furrowed in confusion. "Bonnie, what is he talking about?"

Fortunately for Bonnie, she was saved from answering when the twins grabbed Caroline's hand and half pulled and half dragged her towards the bouncy house. When Bonnie was certain that Caroline was safely out of hearing distance, she punched Damon in the shoulder causing him to yelp in protest. "What the hell was that for?" he complained feeling both amused and annoyed.

"You were about to put my business in the street," she hissed frantically. "Caroline doesn't know about Cade and I'm going to keep it that way." Damon narrowed his blue eyes at her frustrated before grabbing her by the arm and leading her back over to her booth where they could have a little more privacy. "I shouldn't have to find out that you had some clandestine meeting with Cade from my brother. You should have called me," Damon growled. Bonnie snatched away from him and sighed annoyed. "I didn't call you because it wasn't a big deal, Damon. I wasn't hurt. I wasn't traumatized. I was just formerly introduce to our latest supernatural nightmare and to be honest, we both know that my run in with Cade was going to happen sooner or later. We should just be glad that he doesn't want to hurt me."

"Yeah, okay. Even if I believed that, I still don't understand why you wouldn't call me and tell me about it. I don't like the fact that Stefan is walking around knowing things about you that I don't," he said unhappily.

Bonnie smirked she got a wet wipe from off the counter of the booth and wiped away the black paint lingering on her right index finger. "If I didn't know any better, I would say that you kind of sound jealous."

"Um, hello? Have you met me? When have I ever been okay with someone taking liberties with what's mine?" Bonnie stopped fumbling with the bottles of glittered and faced the vampire with a look of annoyance on her pretty face. "I am only going to tell you this one time, and one time only. am not a possession or an object. I don't belong to anyone." There was a long silence before Damon sighed apologetically. "Listen, Bon Bon. You know that I didn't mean it that way. I'm just saying that you are my best friend, and the best friend contract clearly states that when it comes to the role of being the person you lean on and depend on, I'm on a very short list of people that you call. Nowhere in the fine print of said contract does it says that you can outsource my place in your life to Stefan."

Bonnie couldn't help but laugh and silently she was astonished how Damon could make her want to strangle him in one moment and have her melting on the inside in the next. Damon may have had some loathsome qualities, but one of the things she loved most about him was how committed to their friendship. There was a time that she thought that they would never be friends again after his decision to desiccate for three years, but when he had revealed what had been inside of the letter he had left her, she had felt all of the anger and resentment she had been holding on slowly fade away. The fact that he admitted that he cared about letting her down as much as he cared about letting Elena down, meant a lot to her. It said that he cared about her very deeply and the bond between them hadn't been broken.

"Damon, there is nothing or no one that can ever take your place. You are my best friend and there is _nothing_ that will ever change that. I promise," she said sincerely.

"So that means that you trust me enough to tell me what's going on with you for now on?" he asked.

Bonnie sighed. "Of course I trust you Damon."

She became nervous when she spotted a wicked gleam flash in his pale blue eyes.

"Good. Since you trust me, why don't you take a seat?" he offered patting the chair Josie had been sitting in earlier. Bonnie eyebrows lifted to her hair line as she stared at the vampire warily. "Why? What are you up to?" she inquired curiously. Watching him innocently pluck a paint brush from a tray, her moss green eyes widened as she slowly backed away from him. "Oh hell no. Don't even think about it."

He pouted playfully. "Come on, Bon. Stop being so uptight and have a little fun."

"Fine, but if you do a terrible job, it's only fair that I return the favor," she warned with a sigh before settling down onto the chair. Damon studied her face closely with such a serious expression that Bonnie couldn't help but burst out laughing. Damon rolled his eyes amused. "I can't do my best work if you are busy cackling like a moron." Bonnie quickly sobered and shot him a dirty look that made him grin. "Much better." As he took the brush and began to paint her cheek. Bonnie suddenly realized how close his face was to hers and became uneasy. She hated that everything about Damon was so intense. His wild blue eyes that held so much unspoken emotions, the sharp features of his face that made him impossibly handsome. Damon was finishing the outline of his design when he notice Bonnie bit down on her bottom lip before lowering her eyes. "Penny for your thoughts, Bon Bon?" he murmured as he purposely leaned closer to her. If a stranger would walk by and observe them, it would look like they were two people engaged in an intimate moment.

"Nothing, it's just that I was curious about the cologne you are wearing. It smells nice," she murmured, a light blush flooding her cheeks. Damon smirked as he lowered his brush and coated the bristles in white paint before carefully dragging it across her cheek. "It's called Italian Leather. It's the official cologne for eternal studs." Bonnie snorted and rolled her eyes. "Well in that case, I should remember to buy some for _my_ eternal stud in the future."

Damon eyes widened noticeably as a grin stretched across his face. "Are you saying that you want your boyfriend to smell like your best friend? I don't whether or not I should be flattered or disturbed." Bonnie scowled deeply. "God, do you always have to be an ass?" He forced himself to keep from laughing. He loved getting under her skin. Noticing that he was amused by her indignation, Bonnie's face darkened noticeably. "Care to fill me in on what exactly it is that you find so funny?"

Damon stopped painting and stared her straight in the eyes. "I'm going to let you in on a little secret, Bon Bon. I know that you expect me to take you seriously whenever you curse me out, but I don't. At most, I find your scowling and your desire to hurt me...cute."

Bonnie grabbed his collar and yanked him closer so that their nose were nearly touching. "Believe me, you would find it less cute if I had my magic to put you in your place," she bit out through her clenched teeth.

Damon grinned deviously. "True. I would find it less cute and more of a turn on."

Realizing that they were in the dangerous territory of flirting, Bonnie quickly sobered up. She released her hold on his jacket, but he remained lingering in her personal space. "Seriously Damon?"

"What can I say," he murmured as he leaned forward and pressed his lips against her ear, "You always made it hurt _so_ good."

Bonnie felt her stomach twist as she felt him smile against her cheek. The seductiveness of his words caused goosebumps to dance against her skin. As he pulled back and resumed painting her cheek, she couldn't help but feel flustered at his closeness. She knew that Damon was a notorious flirt and had got off on making women feel nervous in his presence, but Bonnie had always prided herself for being immune to his charm in the past. Right now, she felt that she needed to be vaccinated and that didn't sit too well with her.

As Caroline stood monitoring her kids in the bouncy house, she took a moment to glance in Bonnie and Damon's direction. She could hear their banter over the music and the idle chatter of the strangers around her, and something about the sight of them together intrigued her. When Bonnie was around Damon, she seemed more carefree and full of life. He challenged her, anger her, exasperated her, endeared himself to her. He could draw all kinds of emotions from Bonnie without trying. When Damon was around Bonnie, he seemed to carry a little less of the world on his shoulders. The fake mask that he would wear for everyone else's benefit came off around Bonnie and everything he said, everything he did and all the smiles he displayed was genuine. They were best friends in every sense of the word.

 _Damon and Bonnie. Who would have thought,_ she mused quietly before turning her attention back to her daughters.

"There. All done," Damon announced with a satisfied grin on his face.

Clearing his throat, he handed her the mirror and he was rewarded when a child like giggle escaped her lips. On her cheek was the spitting image of Ms. Cuddles complete with a black triangle nose and scruffy ears and paws. Watching her light up caused Damon grin to widen and while Bonnie was gushing over the painting, he wasn't listening to a single word that she was saying. Instead he was focused on how he never noticed how her olive green eyes seemed to glow whenever she was happy or how beneath her scent of jasmine and cucumber melon, there always seemed to be the hint of lavender that lingered on her skin. As he continued to silently observe her, he wondered why he had never noticed these little things about her and why was it that his sudden awareness of her and these peculiar traits was suddenly making his mouth grow dry?

"Well you aren't exactly Klaus when it comes to knowing your way around paint and a brush, but it's not half bad," she said impressed as she examined the paint job Damon had proudly completed. "I guess I will take that back hand compliment as you being satisfied with my work. My stroke game is notorious." He waggled his eyebrows deviously causing Bonnie to slap his arm playfully before laughing.

An hour later, the crowds begin to fade and the booths began to shut down. Seeing that the event was coming to an end, Bonnie hugged Caroline and the twins goodbye before walking with Damon to her car. They walked together in a comfortable silence before Damon cleared his throat softly.

"Listen, Bon. I was thinking that you and Enzo can come over to my place for drinks tomorrow night," he suggested and Bonnie smiled amused. "What's the matter, Damon? Tired of drinking alone?" she teased. He stopped walking and grabbed her hand holding her place so that they were standing face to face. Bonnie noticed that there were no traces of amusement or playfulness on his face and she immediately became uneasy. "When Enzo told me about wanting to take the cure, I wasn't exactly on board with the idea, but I have had time to put things in perspective." A tender smile slowly spread across his lip. "You are my best friend and you are very important to me. I want you to have the happiest life that you can imagine and if that is with Enzo, I wish you nothing but the best. I know that you don't need it, but you have my blessings."

Bonnie blinked and her lips were parted as she processed Damon's surprisingly sweet statement.

"I-I don't know what to say," she stammered flustered.

He flashed her his typical cocky grin to lighten the mood. "Bonnie Bennett speechless? Wow. That's a first."

Bonnie shook her head smiling before closing the space between them and stood on her toes before wrapping her arms around him. Damon reciprocated the act and held her close. He felt warmth flood through his chest as he realized that he meant everything he had said to her. While he wasn't excited about the fact that Enzo would eventually take her away from Mystic Falls, he truly wanted nothing more than for her to be happy. Oddly enough, it was Stefan's creepy antics that had made Damon take the high road and put his selfishness aside so that he could support Bonnie and Enzo moving forward together. The old him would have thrown a fit and found ways to manipulate the outcome that he wanted forcing her to stay in his life, but he had grown and he accepted that he could no longer be selfish with her.

"Promise me something?" Bonnie's voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he pulled back slightly. His blue eyes connect with her olive green ones inquisitively. "Promise me that no matter what happens, we will always be friends."

"Best friends," he corrected softly as he playfully pulled her body tighter against his.

Bonnie and Damon broke apart at the sound of a woman whimpering in pain. It was only in that moment that Bonnie noticed a dark pool of liquid had formed beneath her car. Trailing behind Damon, they made their way to the driver side of the car and came upon a young woman lying motionless on the hot pavement covered in blood. Her shirt had been ripped open and there was a large hunting knife sticking out of her gut. As Bonnie moved forward to take a closer look, a deep frown marred her pretty features. Above the nasty wound were the letters XOXO scrawled in blood.

 _How bizarre,_ she thought to herself as she knelt down beside the wounded woman feeling helpless. Turning her gaze onto Damon, she stared at him desperately.

"Damon, do something. You have to help her," she pleaded quietly with a small tremor in her voice.

Damon narrowed his eyes as he squatted down next to the bleeding girl. Scrunching his nose, he quickly observed her injuries before deciding to taking drastic measures. Gripping the hilt of the weapon, he yanked it out of the girl's gut causing her to cry out in agony. Moving quickly, he dropped the hunting knife before biting down into his wrist and pressing the wound against her lips. As the blood poured into her mouth, the girl's eyes widened in fear.

"Shh, it's okay," Bonnie whispered stroking her hair in attempt to soothe her. "Don't worry. You are going to be fine." As Damon continue to feed the girl his blood, Bonnie noticed the girl's phone lying near her head. Lifting it from the ground, she was preparing to call for an ambulance when the picture on the screen made her blood run cold.

"Oh my god."

Damon lifted his head up to see that Bonnie's face was twisted in horror and her eyes were wet with tears. He immediately got the feeling that something was very wrong. "What is it, Bon? What's wrong?"

When she didn't say anything, he made his way over to her and grabbed the phone out of her hand. On the screen was a picture of the last person he ever expected to see alive again blowing her a kiss.

"Kai," Bonnie whispered brokenly, "He's alive.

#

"You have to be several different kinds of crazy if you think that Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a shot going to the playoffs this year. They are the worst team in the NFC south division!" Dorian exclaimed as he positioned a step ladder near the bookshelf to retrieve a journal he had been looking for. Alaric looked up from the crossbow he was fixing and snorted dismissively. "The only reason why are sleeping on Tampa Bay is because you are a bandwagon Cam Newton fan." Dorian opened his mouth to protest, but Alaric cut him off with a warning glare. "If you are about to say that Newton is GOAT, I won't be responsible for this crossbow misfiring."

Enzo chuckled softly as he watched the Occult professor and the intern bicker back in forth about football. The past few hours had been spent shuffling through the archives, organizing artifacts and updating the filing system. After awhile, things had gotten a tad bit boring which led to Dorian and Alaric engaging in an argument about their NFL teams rivalry. Unfortunately, Enzo didn't really have much to offer to the conversation. Unlike the two men who were born and raised in a culture that celebrated grossly paid athletes tossing around a ball made of pigskin, Enzo preferred to spend his times doing far more entertaining things such as reading a classic novel, engaging in swordsmanship, and driving fast cars. The subject of football just didn't appeal to him.

"Score!" Dorian exclaimed as he plucked a book from the bookshelf and descended down the ladder happily. "Found it."

Alaric approached him and arched an eyebrow when he recognized what Dorian was clutching tightly.

"What are you doing with the Maxwell journal?" Alaric asked curiously.

Dorian's eyes lit up with excitement. "I was doing some research yesterday and thought that maybe if I ran Ethan's Maxwell name through this genealogy website, we could find out more about the guy. As luck would have it, Maxwell has a well known descendant that resides right here in Mystic Falls," he said cryptically. Alaric folded his arms across his chest and leveled the intern with an impatient look. "Who is Ethan Maxwell's descendant?" he asked exasperated.

"Matt Donovan," Dorian informed flashing a smile that stretched ear to ear. Alaric eyes lit up in surprise. "Are you sure?"

"I ran his name across a genealogy website tracing back the entire family tree. I checked the result's five times. Matt's name was listed as one of the last remaining descendants," he insisted. "After I figured it out, I decided I would make a copy of the journal. I thought that Matt would like to read the history of his people first hand and I didn't want to risk losing the original so I figured making copies was the safest bet."

"What's your plan after you finish copying the journal?" Alaric asked curiously.

"Dude. It's the weekend and while organizing a bunch of ancient artifacts is loads of fun, I have a date tonight. You remember what those are, right? Expensive dinner, I flash my teeth and if I'm lucky, at the end of the night she will flash her-" Alaric interrupted him coughing weakly. "Alright, kid. We get the point." Dorian grinned before shooting Alaric a mock salute as he grabbed his brown leather satchel and slung it over his shoulder.

"Lock up when you are done," Alaric yelled after him. As Dorian disappeared in the direction of the main office, Ric turned his attention towards Enzo who was reclining bac in his chair with his hand perched behind his head and his ankles crossed in front of him.

"You've been unusually quiet. What's on your mind?" Alaric asked curiously.

Enzo sighed heavily. "Bonnie had a run in with Cade last night and I hate the fact that she was defenseless. She refuses to wear the blood necklace that I gifted to her and she no longer has her magic. I'm just worried that when she finds herself in real danger, that I won't be around to protect her." Alaric watched as Enzo scrubbed his hand across his face wearily. Alaric was concerned that Cade had made contact with Bonnie, but he wasn't all that surprised. The one thing that Elena and Bonnie had in common was their ability to attract the attention of the worst kinds of supernatural monsters.

"Follow me. There is something that I need to show you," Alaric said cryptically before rising from the table and exiting the room. Curiously, Enzo trailed behind the former history teacher and his intrigue grew as he found himself standing in the tunnels moments later. He watched silently as Alaric walked over to the far corner of the room and place his hands on the wall. As his face twisted in concentration, he used his knuckles to drum against several seemingly random patches of the wall before a opening appeared producing a medium sized black box covered in velvet. Grabbing the box, Alaric placed it on the table next to him before opening it. Inside where different items that Enzo could only assume that was magical. There were daggers, a compass, a Tibet singing bowl, a couple of vials of mysterious liquid, a ninja star and something that appeared to be a broach.

"Yes, here it is," Alaric breathed relieved as he lifted the piece of onyx jewelry out of the box, "The Genovese Pendant. It was created in 1652 to ward off enemies. As long as Bonnie is wearing it, those who wish to cause her harm cannot touch her. The only problem is that this particular magical artifact was created using dark magic.

"These aren't logged in with the main registry. How did you even come across them?" Enzo inquired as he stared down at the odd looking piece of jewelry.

"A while ago I found this book along with the Maxwell journal in the secret room in the vault. I think your cousin Alex may have hidden it in there because she didn't want to make these particular artifacts official. Especially given the fact that the team she hired off the books had stolen them from witches who were associated with our old friends, the Originals," Alaric informed rubbing the stubble around his neck. Hearing the name Original made Enzo's eyebrows shoot up to his hair line and his dark eyes widen in alarm. While he had been fortunate enough to have not been around for the era where Klaus and his psychotic family had reeked havoc on Mystic Falls, but Bonnie had filled them in on that particular chaotic part of her life. "Would her wearing this put her in danger? We already have our hands filled with Sybil and Cade. The last thing we need is for Klaus to be on our supernatural radar?"

Alaric examined the piece of jewelry closely and shook his head. "If there was a way for them to track it down, they would have come for it already. Besides, I think they have their hands filled with some war that is being waged in New Orleans," Alaric stated somberly as he placed the pendant in the palm of Enzo's hand. "If we want Bonnie to stay safe, her best bet is to wear it."

"Thanks mate. I can now worry less on keeping her safe and more on how to convince her that moving forward in our relationship is a good thing," he mumbled as the two men began the journey out of the tunnels and headed back towards the main room in the armory. Alaric detected a note of sadness in Enzo's voice and frowned. "Trouble in paradise?" he asked gently.

"I want to take the cure for Bonnie, but I'm not sure that she wants that for us," he sighed heavily, "Every time I bring it up, she either completely avoids the issue or she insist on talking about it later. I am starting to think that she isn't as committed to us as she has lead me to believe. I want a family. I want to grow old with her. I want us to be completely committed to one another."

Alaric nodded as he stopped and faced Enzo outside the hall of the main room. "Did you ever stop to ask Bonnie what is that she wanted? I mean Bonnie is a human that fell in love with a vampire. She had to make peace with not having certain things out of life. Now that you are offering her a life as a human, she is going to be forced to have to reevaluate everything about the relationship. Don't you think she deserves a little time to figure things out?"

Enzo considered Alaric's point of view and realized the former history teacher was right. He had been so excited in taking the next step in their relationship that he never bothered to ask Bonnie what she wanted. He also never gave her time or space to actually process what he was asking from her? It wasn't like he was proposing that they move in together, or they relocate. He was asking her to accept him becoming human for _her_ and that was a lot for anyone to process. Then and there he decided that he would make up for being pushy by cooking Bonnie's favorite dinner and reassuring her that she could take all the time she needed to decide what she wanted. He didn't know why he had been rushing to get an answer from her in the first place. It wasn't like either of them were going anywhere and they had all the time in the world to figure things out.

Walking into the main room, Enzo tensed as he felt a chill in the air. He couldn't help but feel like something bad was about to happen. Seconds later, his suspicions were confirmed when he heard the haunting sound of humming filling the room.

Alaric frowned as he looked around uneasy. "Do you hear that?"

Enzo looked around the room and felt his mouth grow dry when he spotted Sybil standing at the top of the staircase with a devious look on her face. She was wearing a white blouse with high waist black slacks and black pumps with silver spikes running down the stiletto part of the heel.

"Hello, Enzo," she purred before winking at Alaric, "Professor."

"What the hell do you want?" Alaric growled harshly as she began to circle the two men like a hawk.

"Don't be rude. We both know that aren't so tough without your little weapons," she taunted as threaded her fingers through his shaggy brown hair enjoying the way his body vibrated with anger and fear. "Don't worry, Alaric. I'm not here for you. Unfortunately for you, you have nothing that I want." Sighing she moved away from Alaric and made her way over to Enzo who was watching every move she made like a hawk. When she entered his personal space, Enzo wasted no time in grabbing her by the throat and flashing her across the room before slamming her back violently against the hard wall. The impact was so rough that it cause the wires in the wall to crease and the lights in the room to flicker slightly. Sybil pouted as she stared at Enzo feeling a little hurt. "That's no way to treat a woman."

"You are not a woman," he seethed as he tightened the grip on her wind pipe. "You are a monster and you disgust me." Sybil eyes darkened angrily as she used a psychic attack to cause the vampire to fall to his kneels growling as he clutched the sides of his head in pain. "There was a time you thought of me in a more flattering light, Enzo. You can pretend that the very sight of me disgusts you, but let's not pretend that you weren't too disgusted when you crawled into my bed."

Alaric's eyebrows shot up to his hairline as he watched Enzo's face twist with guilt and regret. _Enzo and Sybil had an affair?_ Alaric felt his stomach turn as his thoughts turned to Bonnie. He had been there when Jeremy had kissed his ex girlfriend who was a ghost while he had been with Bonnie. He had witnessed how much that had devastated her. When she discovered the truth about Sybil and Enzo, he could only imagine how heart broken she would be at his betrayal. Seeing the uncomfortable look on Alaric's face, Enzo jumped at the chance to explain his side of the story. "My humanity was off and it was a mistake. I had every intention of telling her, but I never found the right time."

Sybil rolled her eyes and huffed annoyed. "Enough with all of your excuses, Enzo. Damon's humanity was off and he managed to resist my charms. It makes me think that perhaps that you aren't as in love with Bonnie as you think you are," she murmured twirling a loose lock of hair around her manicured finger tip, "The man you are when your humanity is on is a man who _settled_ for that little witch, but when your humanity switch is off, you are free and unburdened by the feelings you claim to have for her which leads me to wonder. Which one is the real Enzo? The one who settled or the one who is free?"

Enzo felt his anger surge and Alaric took a step back as he watched the veins around the vampire's eyes become dark and transparent.

"Don't you ever question my love for her. What I feel for Bonnie is the truest thing that I have ever known," he spat. "What happen with you was a mistake and you mean nothing to me. Just like you mean nothing to Damon." He was too angry to notice Sybil's face morph from smug to murderous as he continued to berate her. "You run around her manipulating people just so that you can get what you want, but as much as you try, you can't get men to do the one thing that you desperately want and that is genuinely love you." Before Enzo could take a breath after his long winded rant, Sybil stretched her hand out and caused Enzo's mind to become filled with agony and torment. Screaming, he clutched the sides of his head as he collapsed withering uncontrollably.

"Leave him alone," Alaric growled helplessly. Watching Enzo crying out weakly was hard to watch and even though he knew that there was nothing he could do to physically stop the siren harming Enzo, but he couldn't sit back silently and watch his friend suffer. To his surprise, Sybil stopped her mental torture on the Augustine vampire and smiled at him sweetly. She could tell that the Occult professor was frightened and she could easily dole out the same type of punishment to him that she had unleashed on Enzo, but she realized that she would be wasting her time and her time was precious.

"Very well," she relented. "Enzo and I will be on our way. Be a dear and deliver a message for me, will you? Tell Bonnie Bennett that she has twenty four hours to deliver Elena Gilbert to me," Sybil said coldly, "If she fails to meet my dead line...Enzo will suffer a fate far worse than death."

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Enzo hissed hatefully.

Sybil frowned. "You don't have a choice, Enzo. You either come with me, or I will eat Alaric, and I must warn you. I really have quite the appetite."

Alaric felt paralyzed with fear as the siren stared at him hungrily. Enzo swore silently. As much as he loathe being near Sybil and being strong armed into leaving with her, he knew that it was the only way to make sure that Alaric stayed safe and unharmed. "Fine," Enzo relented, "I'll go with you."

"Excellent!" Sybil exclaimed clapping her hands in delight.

Bending over, she picked up the pendant before examining it curiously. "I think I will hold on to this for the time being." Seconds later, she and Enzo disappeared.

 **End Note: The Sailor scouts told me to tell ya'll to review or in the name of the moon, I will punish you. *strikes awkward pose***


	10. Chapter 10

_**AN: Hey guys. Here is the next installment. The next chapter will give a peek into why Cade is interested in Bonnie. On a random note, I am currently working on a Thor/Ororo fic because I was recently asked to revive Forces of Destiny. I lost inspiration with that one, but after watching Ragnork for the hundredth time, I decide to start anew. Anyhoo...happy reading.**_

 _#_

"I can't believe that Kai is alive. He is suppose to be dead. Why isn't he dead?" Bonnie croaks miserably as she wraps her arms around her small frame in a failed attempt to ward off the chill vibrating through her entire body. The phone containing Kai's picture was lying at her feet, and as much as she wants to tear her eyes away from the image of his face, she could not. What draws her in the most was the malice lurking on the surface of Kai's Parker big brown eyes. Those brown eyes triggers memories of the sinister way he had glared at her right before he stabbed her and left her for dead on the lawn of his childhood home. Those brown eyes reminds her at how sadistic and how cruel he had been towards her and the people that she cared about. Those brown eyes reminds her of the horror he had committed the night of Jo and Alaric's wedding where he had slaughtered his entire coven and casted a spell that would forever take Elena away from her.

Bonnie eventually turns away from the phone and inhales sharply. She is desperately trying to avoid letting her emotions get the best of her. It had taken her a long time to mentally and emotionally heal from all the trauma that the Gemini sociopath had caused her and against all odds, she had succeeded in moving past it. She had moved past the disturbing nightmares, the depression, the hopelessness...she had found a way to live with herself without letting the little creep tear away her sanity. Unfortunately, fate had once again found a way to screw her over by allowing Kai to slither back into her life and finish what he had started. The thought of coming face to face with him caused perspiration to form across her forehead and her stomach to lurch. As bile begins to rise in the back of her throat, she quickly stumbles towards the front of her car and doubles over. Clutching her sides, she opens her mouth and the contents of her stomach is released violently onto the hot pavement.

As she gags in an effort to clear the vomit from her airway, Bonnie feels the palm of Damon's hand rest on the small of her back before moving in small and soothing circles. Closing her eyes, she begins to gulp in huge breaths of fresh air, but instead of finding relief, she begins to cough uncontrollably.

"Breathe, Bonnie," he instructs gently, "Just breathe."

She obeys his command and slowly, the waves of nausea began to fade away. Once she was certain that she was feeling better, Bonnie returns to a full vertical standing position with a look of devastation on her face.

"He's coming after us. He is going to make us pay for what we did to him." Bonnie's words were filled with fear and anguish and Damon knows that there is little next to nothing that he can do to comfort her. The pain and terror radiating from the surface of her wide moss green eyes makes Damon want to hunt Kai down and rip him from limb from limb. Bonnie had dealt with her fair of supernatural low lives and monsters, but Kai was the only one who had ever come close to breaking her.

"Bonnie, look at me," Damon coaxed gently.

Bonnie wipes her mouth with the back of her hand as she lifts her head to meet Damon's piercing gaze. Having such a violent reaction to Kai's reappearance has left her feeling vulnerable and embarrassed and she knows that Damon can see her shame written all across her face.

"I know that you are terrified. I know that you think that Kai is going to pick up where he left off and hurt you. You need to know that I'm not going to let that happen. He can lurk in the shadows and play all the twisted games he wants, but I am not going to let that son of a bitch get anywhere near you," Damon vows passionately. "You have my word." The conviction that she hears in the dark haired vampire's voice is slightly comforting, but it doesn't do much to stop the many different violent scenario's of Kai torturing her from running through her mind.

The sound of the injured girl soft sobs breaks Bonnie out of her train of thoughts, and she is immediately reminded of the dire situation that she and Damon had on their hands. Kai had left them quite a mess to clean up. If they didn't want Damon's secret to be discovered, she knew that they had to move quickly and calm the girl so that she can be compelled.

Breaking away from Damon, Bonnie walked back over to where the girl was lying prone on the pavement, clutching her wound. Her face is twisted in fear and confusion. Kneeling down next to her, Bonnie begins to stroke her hair while speaking soothingly. "Listen to me. Everything is going to be alright. You are safe now. No one is going to hurt you."

The raven hair girl tears wet eyes away from Bonnie and stares up at Damon terrified.

"I saw your fangs," she stammers frightened. "You fed me your blood and the pain that I felt is gone. What the hell are you?! What the hell is going on?"

"What is your name?" Bonnie asks softly. She knows that if she doesn't do her best to distract the girl, things were going to get very bad, very soon.

"Tiffany," the girl whimpers as fat tears streams down her quivering cheeks. "Tiffany Sharp."

Hearing her last name, Bonnie feels a strange sensation fall over her. The quiet alarm bells in her head is warning her that she is missing something important, but she dismisses the feeling as she watches Damon squat down beside Tiffany with a disarming smile splayed across his lips. "Listen to me, Tiffany. You are going to go home, take a nice hot bubble bath, drink a bottle of wine and forget that you discovered the existence of vampires and forget that you were ever injured."

Tiffany stops crying and stares at him like he had just sprouted a second head. "I was just stabbed by some random psycho and you just forced your blood down my throat. Do you really expect me to go home and pretend that this didn't happen?"

Damon and Bonnie exchange a look of horror as they realizes that the compulsion hadn't stuck. That meant one of two things. The girl was either unaware that she was on vervain or...

"Kai compelled her to remember everything that happened to her," Bonnie breathed mortified.

"Kai?" Tiffany narrows her eyes as she glares at Bonnie suspiciously. "You actually know the bastard that did this to me?!"

Bonnie swallows nervously. She knows that if she told Tiffany the history that she shared with Kai, it would send the poor girl running and screaming for the hills chased by nightmares that would plague her for the rest of her life. Instead of being brutally honest with her, Bonnie decides to tell a version of the truth that would avoid exposing her personal connection to the sociopath.

"Kai is a dangerous man who has a history of terrorizing people. He is a wanted man in Utah and now he is here in Mystic Falls. I believe he used you to target me because I was a witness to a crime he committed," she informs softly. "I know that you have no reason to trust us, but if you just give me a chance to explain things, I can protect you."

Bonnie tries to help Tiffany off the ground, but the girl swats her hand away angrily as she scrambles to her feet.

"Get away from me," she cries hoarsely as she stumbles away from Bonnie and Damon with terror in her big brown eyes. "He is a vampire and you are some crazy chick covering for him!"

Bonnie take a quick survey of their surroundings apprehensively. Even though the parking lot is absent of people, she knows that if Tiffany screams loud enough, someone would come running to investigate.

"Look. I get that you are scared, but I need you to calm down. If it wasn't for me, you would still be bleeding out on the pavement," Damon growls, his face darkening with irritation.

"If it wasn't for that psychopath wanting to send you two a message, I wouldn't have been bleeding in the first place!" she snaps.

Sensing the tension mounting to dangerous levels, Bonnie quickly places herself between the hysterical girl and the seething vampire. "Tiffany, please. I know that you didn't ask for any of this to happen to you and I am very sorry that it did. You don't have any reason to trust us, but you need to know that we do not intend to cause you any harm. Just please-"

Before Bonnie can finish her statement, Tiffany bends down and picked up the stabbing knife that Damon had dislodged from her body moments earlier, and held it front of her defensively.

"I don't care what you have to say," Tiffany hiss, her eyes filled with unshed tears. "The man who stabbed me is a monster and I am going to the police."

She makes a move to walk past Bonnie and Damon, but the brunette blocks her path stubbornly. "Going to the police is going to put my friend in danger. I cannot let you do that."

Tiffany clutches the hunter knife tightly as she glowers at Bonnie with fear and anger flashing across her pale face.

"I don't want to hurt you, but I'm going to let you stop me," she warns, her voice hard and quiet. "Now I'm only going to tell you this once. Move. Out. Of. My. Way."

Bonnie lifts her hands slowly to reveal that she isn't a threat, but Tiffany shows no signs of backing down.

"Please," Bonnie pleads desperately, "There is no need for any more violence. Just calm down."

"Back off!" Tiffany hissed lunging forward with the menacing hunter knife. Her intention had been to frighten Bonnie, but she was so consumed by her emotions that she misjudged the distance between the tip of the blade and Bonnie and accidently slashed the other woman across the side of her face.

Yelping in pain, Bonnie jumps back clutching her cheek with a look of fear and disbelief in her moss green eyes.

"I-I'm sorry," the raven hair girl sputters dropping the blade causing it to clatter on the pavement at her feet. "I didn't mean to-"

Without any warning, Damon steps forward and wraps his right hand around her throat tightly. Before Bonnie can stop him, he applies pressure to the base of Tiffany's skull causing her neck to snap away from her spinal column. She slumps forward and is dead before she crashes inside of Damon's arms.

"No," Bonnie whispers brokenly as she stares at Damon who is cradling Tiffany's body against his chest with an hardened expression on his handsome face. If a stranger was to walk by, it would like Damon was cradling a lover in a tender embrace. They would never believed that Damon had just killed her without batting a single eyelash. Bonnie was having a hard time believing it herself. If she had a little more time, she would have been able to reach Tiffany. If she had a little more time, she would have convinced the poor girl that they could keep her safe and she would still be alive.

As she contemplates this, Damon carefully maneuvers himself and Tiffany over to the trunk of Bonnie's car.

"Open it," he urges quietly.

Bonnie glares at him with her olive green eyes filled with anguish and resentment.

"It's not bad enough that you murdered her. You want to take it one step further and despose her corpse in the back of my car?" she exclaims horrified.

The blue eyed vampire rolls his eyes annoyed.

"That's a really weird way to thank me for saving your ass," he says dryly.

"She didn't have tor die," she spats angrily, "There were other ways to subdue her."

Damon head snaps towards her and he levels her with a chilling look that was hard and dangerous. "I'm sorry, Bon Bon. Maybe I should have tried negotiating with the hysterical little bitch. Oh, wait. My bad. She was too busy attempting to use your face as a pumpkin to practice her carving skills."

Before she could respond, Damon reaches over and snatches the keys that were dangling from her fingers. Hitting the blue button, the trunk flies open and he quickly deposits the dead body of the girl inside the small compartment before slamming it shut.

Turning towards her, he spies the knife on the ground and lifts it from the pavement. As he stashed it inside of his jacket, he can't ignore the weight of Bonnie's angry glare pinning him to the very spot in which he stood.

"Don't just stand there gawking, Bon," he bites out impatiently, "We are losing day light. Get in the car and follow me back to the Boarding House. Once we get behind closed doors, we can decided how to handle this."

Bonnie narrows her eyes at him as she barely resists the urge to lash out at him. Damon had just murdered an innocent woman and instead of appearing to look the least bit remorseful, he was acting like what he did wasn't wrong. She exhaled sharply as she turned away from him trying to gather her bearings. She was exhausted. While she knew that Kai had intentionally hurt Tiffany to send her a message, she couldn't blame the siphoner for Damon's part in Tiffany's murder. Another innocent was life was taken because of vampires and she hated that she had indirectly contribute to Damon's mounting body count.

As she turns around to face Damon, she gasps startled when she finds him standing closer to her than she had expected. She opens her mouth to chew him out, but stops when she notices the look of anger and concern in his icy blue eyes. She realizes that he is focusing on the deep gash on her cheek. He goes to stick his thumb in his mouth so that he could heal the weeping wound, but she stubbornly steps backwards and out of his reach.

"I can take care of it myself. I don't need your assistance," she says coldly.

Damon bristles and he is clearly agitated by Bonnie's attitude.

"I know that you are less than thrilled about what just happened, but it had to be done. If you want, I will get on my knees and show you just how sorry I am," he says haughtily with a sarcastic edge in his voice, "But for now, I need you to set aside your judgey nature and your deathly glare and get in the car so we can get the hell out of here. As long as Kai is alive, it's not safe for you to be out in the open."

Bonnie sneers at him angrily. "You're right, Damon. Why leave myself out in the open to be targeted by one murderer when I have my killer bestie to protect me."

Brushing past him, she reclaims her keys from his fingers before heading towards the driver side of her vehicle. She felt a gust of wind brush past her as Damon used his agility to pin her against the Prius.

"Listen to me, Bonnie," he warns, his voice barely above a whisper as his breath fans across her face, "I may be a lot of things, but I am nothing like that monster. Don't you ever compare me to him again."

She could hear the hurt and resentment in his voice and a part of her would admit that she had crossed the line when she had said what she had said, but a bigger part of her was too prideful and stubborn to apologize. They stare each other down, both realizing that they have been at this crossroads many times before. Damon would do something bad, Bonnie would chew his ass out and they would have a silent standoff until one of them would break and back down. That person usually would be Bonnie, but this time she is determined to be the last one standing. Call it egotistical, call it pettiness, but after what she had just gone through, she is determined to regain her sense of control and if that meant using the current battle she was engaged in with Damon to showcase that control, she was prepared to stand her ground.

Seeing how she was not going to back down any soon, Damon forced a smile before backing away from her. The expression on his face shows that he is more than a little unhappy.

"I'll see you back at the Boarding House."

Without waiting on her response, Damon whirled on his heels and storms off towards his blue Camaro leaving Bonnie to stare after him fuming.

#

 _I wish you would step back from that ledge my friend_

 _You could cut ties with all the lies that you've been living in_

 _And if you do not want to see me again...I would understand_

 _I would understand_

Walking through the front door leading into the Lockwood Manor, Kai Parker happily hums the lyrics to his favorite Third Eye Blind Song, Jumper. He had just returned from town square where he had stood in the shadows and watched the drama between Damon, Bonnie and Tiffany Sharp play out. At first, he had been worried that his plan would not succeed, but he had forgotten to factor in Damon's impulsive nature which had given Kai the results that he had desperately been hoping for. Watching Damon snap the poor girl's neck had been exhilarating, but watching Bonnie's reaction to what Damon had done had been the icing on Kai's vengeful cake. The only regret he had is that he wouldn't be around when the dynamic duo learned that Tiffany Sharp wasn't just an ordinary citizen of Mystic Falls, and when they learned who she was connected to, shit was going to hit the fan. Some people like to light a match and set fire to the world, and others like to watch the world burn. Unfortunately for the people of Mystic Falls, Kai Parker was someone who enjoyed doing both.

As he made his way down the empty and eerie halls in search of Sybil, he reached into his pocket and retrieved a cherry blow pop from his jacket pocket before unwrapping it and placing it in his mouth. When Sybil had bought him to the Lockwood Manor and claimed it as her own personally little safe house, Kai had thought the residence to be a little haunted and pretentious, but now that he was getting more comfortable with the place, he realize that it's a perfect fit. It wasn't as foreboding as the Salvatore's Boarding House, but he liked the fact that there was a little to no chance of them being discovered squatting in the abandoned Manor. As he starts humming the second verse of the earworm stuck in his head, he found himself in the living room where the devious little siren and Enzo were sitting silently across from one another. Enzo was shirtless, chained to a chair and slouched over unconscious while the seductive brunette was on her knees between his legs with her eyes closed and her hands placed on either side of the dark haired vampire's head. She was humming a beautiful tune that sounded both beautiful and enchanting, but fortunately for the Gemini warlock, it had no effect on him.

"Judging from your cheerful demeanor, I take it that everything went according to plan?" Sybil's voice is soft and quiet as she drops her hands away from Enzo's face and focuses her attention onto Kai.

"Of course it did," Kai brags arrogantly, "If you fail to plan, plan to fail."

Sybil manages not to roll her eyes as she flash a smile of approval in his direction. When she had enlisted the help and services of the deranged sociopath, she knew that he would be a bit of a challenge. She never thought that he would be so annoying.

"Excellent. Now that your part of the plan is complete, it is time to secure our back up plan."

"And that would be...?" Kai prods curiously as he twirls his wet pink tongue around the sugary treat in his mouth.

"You are looking at him," she says softly as she circles the unconscious vampire while running her manicured nails through his short back hair. "Bonnie loves Enzo, but I'm not quite sure if he is enough motivation to make her turn Elena over to me. Her loyalty to the doppelganger is steady yet tragic. If Bonnie fails to give Elena up, I will be force to return Enzo back to her in a less than desirable condition."

Kai rolls his eyes as he crunched down on the piece of candy causing it to shatter into tiny pieces inside of his mouth. Thinking about Bonnie's undying loyalty to Elena Gilbert always left a sour taste in his mouth. He knew Elena. He had several run ins with the doe eyed girl in the past and while she was beautiful and alluring, he couldn't see what was so special about her that made Bonnie want to sacrifice any and everything and made Damon want to drop on all fours and follow her around like a love sick puppy. The fact that she commanded loyalty and devotion from so many people was vomit inducing.

"So what exactly do you plan on doing with Enzo?" he asks propping his legs up on the coffee table and crossing one ankle over the other.

Sybil glances at him slyly. "You are just going to have to wait and see. Telling you would be...anticlimactic."

Kai pouts batting his eyelashes innocently. "Come on, Sybs," he murmurs, "We are suppose to be partners. It's not very nice of you to leave me in the dark."

Sybil bends down and wraps her arms around Enzo's neck before resting her neck on his right shoulder. She prefers to keep what she has in store for Enzo a secret, but she knew that she couldn't risk alienating her ally by being cryptic and withholding. Instead of letting him in our plan, she decides to distract him by telling him an irrelevant little truth.

"Alright Malachai," she relents softly, "I am going to let you in on a secret. Enzo isn't just a pawn that I am using to get what I want from Bonnie. He and I were actually close once."

Kai arches an eyebrow inquisitively as he sits up straighter in his seat.

"Are you talking about close as in the two of you use to braid each others hair, or close as in you two once did the dirty dance with no pants?" he inquires deviously.

Sybil giggles and release Enzo before slowly sashaying over to Kai.

"If by that last part you mean that we knew each in other in a biblical sense, then you would be correct." Sybil's confession leaves Kai wide eyed and speechless. He knew that the siren used her ability to manipulate men to do all sorts of wicked things. Killing was one thing, but manipulating a person into performing sexually left Kai feeling queasy. He knows that he isn't a saint. What he had done to Bonnie had put him on the fast track to hell and he knew he deserved every bit of his punishment for not only what he had done to her, but what he had done to his family and his entire coven. Despite all of the horrors and the pain he had inflicted on people, there were certain lines he wouldn't cross. He wouldn't burn down a church full of nuns, he wouldn't turn innocent children into blood sucking murders and he would never force himself on a man or woman sexually. That kind of trauma and violence made his stomach turn.

Seeing the disgusted look on Enzo's face, Sybil tilts her head slightly to the left and observes him silently with her arms folded across her petite chest.

"Is there something bothering you, Malachai?" she asks sounding bored.

"You are a beautiful woman," Kai admits quietly trying not to let his uneasiness show in his voice, "I wouldn't think that you would have to manipulate men into your bed against their will."

The siren bites down on her bottom lip softly before sitting on the edge of the coffee table. Her face lights up in amusement as she rests her hands on his knee caps making him feel awkward and uncomfortable. She knows that as a vampire, Kai is hyper aware of everything about her. She knows he could smell the traces of the light and expensive French perfume radiating from her skin. He was aware of how she used seduction to get what she wanted and he was also very aware of how dangerous she was and she secretly liked the fact that he had the sense enough to fear her.

"When Enzo and I slept together, I did not have to siren him into my bed. He had turned his humanity off and came to me willingly," she boasts flipping her chestnut colored hair over her bare shoulder. " If Bonnie doesn't hand Elena over, I am going to make sure she knows that her beloved boyfriend has been keeping a very naughty secret from her. What do you think will happen if Bonnie learns that the man she adores has been lying to her about his fidelity? What do you think she is going to do when she learns that another man that she loves has betrayed her?"

Sybil's words are callous and harsh and causes Kai to swallow nervously. He was well aware with Bonnie's past with cheating boyfriends. He had discovered that little piece of information in the prison world when he had eavesdropped on a conversation between the drunken Bennett witch and a less than sympathetic Damon. There were a lot of things that could hurt her, but he knew that when it came to someone she trusted stabbing her in the heart, that was the worst pain that could be inflicted on Bonnie. While he admires Sybil's plan, a part of him is reluctant to help her go through with it. He only wanted to cause Bonnie the bare minimum of pain and discomfort. To launch a full on emotional assault on her was something he hadn't been prepared to be apart of.

Almost as if she had been reading his mind, Sybil frowned and rose from her perch on the coffee table. "You are not having second thoughts, are you?"

Kai stares at her with a neutral look on his face.

"I'm all in." His words didn't sound very inspiring, but Sybil didn't seem to notice and felt satisfied with his answer.

"Good."

Walking across the room, she stood in front of a mirror hanging on the window. It was covered with dust and cobwebs, but despite the debris, she can still see herself in the mirror.

"I have to leave for a little awhile," she informed as she looked at her reflection while she placed the pendant on her blouse. "I need you to stay here and keep an eye on our guest. Do you think that you are able to handle that?"

Kai smirked as he sat on the coffee table and stared across at the Augustine vampire. "Sure. I'm pretty sure me and Lorenzo can find something to talk about seeing how we have a lot in common."

Sybil combed her fingers through her short brown locks before turning away from her reflection and starring at the Gemini warlock and Enzo. She was curious to see the kind of conversation that would take place between the two men, but she couldn't afford to be late for her meeting. Cade hated to be kept waiting. Casting one last wary look at the two vampires before walking out of the Manor.

#

The front door of the Boarding House flies open and Damon walks in carrying Tiffany's body over his right shoulder while Bonnie trails behind him brooding quietly. Closing the door behind him, he opens his mouth in attempt to clear the air between them, but when she turns her back on him and heads towards the basement, he could see that she is clearly not interested in conversation. Clenching his teeth in frustration, he resists the urge to roll his eyes before following her down into the lower level of the Boarding House where he plans to keep Tiffany imprisoned. He knew that they were going to have their hands full when the knife wielding princess woke up from her little nap to find out that she was no longer human and would be transitioning into a blood sucking vampire. He would think that Bonnie would have appreciated the fact that he had used his precious and high quality blood to keep Tiffany from bleeding out in some dirty ass parking lot. He would think that the fact that Tiffany wasn't permanently dead would keep the little witch from scowling and placing him in the same category of the psychopath that had tortured her. Damon hadn't killed the girl because he enjoyed it, he did it to prevent Tiffany from causing further injury to Bonnie, but did she appreciate it? No. Instead of showing gratitude, Bonnie had given him her cold shoulder and the silent treatment.

The sound of metal crashing against metal makes Bonnie flinch as she watches Damon place Tiffany's lifeless body in the cell. His pale, slender fingers grips the rusty ancient key tightly before swiftly turning it inside of the lock and securing the door. Bonnie feels disoriented by the sounds of the buzzing florescent light attached to the ceiling along with the smell of death that seem to permeate every single inch of the small, dark and dank basement. Bonnie was no stranger to the smell of death, but she knew that no matter how long she lived, she would never get use to the pungent fragrance that she had inhaled far too many times than she cared to count. Swallowing deeply, she turns to walk out of the basement when Damon reaches out and grabs her wrist holding her firmly in place. Her eyes snap up to his face, and she scowls as she realizes that he is prepared to hold her captive in the room until they were back on the same page that they had been on before Kai entrance back into their lives and Tiffany unfortunate death at Damon's hands.

"She's not dead, Bonnie," he reminds her through his clenched teeth, "In case you forgot, my blood was in her system when I put her down."

Bonnie scoffs rudely and snatches her wrists out of his grip. "You are right Damon. She's not dead. She is just an unfortunate young girl who has been added to the blood sucking population. In case I forgotten to show my appreciation for that, thank you!"

Damon combs his hand through his jet black hair as his jaw muscle ticked noticeably. He was trying to remain patient with Bonnie, but she was really starting to get on his last nerves. Looking at her, Damon knew that she had every right to be upset. Bonnie was still shaken by the fact that Kai was still alive and a part of him thought that she was subconsciously using Tiffany's temporary death to justify using him as a punching bag.

"Be mad at me all you want, but I did what I did because that girl inside of that cell was a threat to you. I didn't have a choice-" he protests, his voice rising slightly.

"You had a choice, Damon," Bonnie snarls venomously, "We could have reasoned with her. We could have forced her into my car and insisted that she listens to us. We could have found a million different ways to keep her alive. You chose to do what was easy and you killed her." Bonnie chokes back as a sob as she glares up at him feeling guilty and lost. "I thought I was done with the old Damon, but here he stands. Heartless, ruthless and indifferent. You have no regard for human life whatsoever. You haven't changed at all."

"That is where you are wrong, Bon Bon," he breathes hotly as he glowers down at her, "When it comes to Tiffany, the old me would have finished what Kai started, but it wouldn't have been merciful and quick. It would have been slow and painful."

Bonnie feels her skin crawl in disgust as she watches the cold smile slowly creep across his demented face.

"That's enough," she whispers thickly, but Damon was just getting started.

"The old me would have nursed Tiffany back to health and compelled her to trust me," he murmurs with a wicked gleam in his oceanic blue eyes. "The old me would have taken her back here, and she wouldn't be here transitioning into a vampire. Oh not. Instead, she would have been in my bed screaming my name as I bent her over and-"

"I said that's enough!" Bonnie explodes angrily.

Sensing that he has managed to get under her skin, Damon flashed his canine's causing him to look both beautiful and terrifying.

"You should be glad that I'm not the old me, Bon Bon. The old me wouldn't give a single fuck about you or what you want. The person I am today, cares about you. The person that I am today, will destroy anyone who wishes to harm a single hair on your head," he snarls as he towers over her menacingly. "I think you and I both know that you prefer who I am now to the old me."

For the first time since they arrived at the Boarding House, Bonnie actually looks at him and makes eye contact. Eye contact that would make most people nervous and turn away in discomfort. Her eyes were dull and expressionless and her lips were set in straight line. Damon loved when they would bicker and engaged in half hearted banter, but he despised when they fought to the point where Bonnie looked at him through the eyes of a person who only saw all the bad things he was capable of instead of all the good that he has ever done. The fact that she thought that he was in the same league as that sadistic bastard who had tortured her in the prison world, cut him. It cut him deep.

The heavy tension in the room was broken when the sounds of "I Got Friends In Low Places" by Garth Brooks began to vibrate from Damon's phone. Tearing his gaze from Bonnie, he reached down into his pants pocked and pulled out his cellular phone. He sighs when he spots Alaric's name come across the screen. Lifting his eyes from the tiny piece of technology, he fixes his smoldering gaze on Bonnie.

"I have to take this call. Why don't you go upstairs and get cleaned up?" he suggests evenly.

The tension between them is thick and very uncomfortable. Bonnie swallows quietly, but her tongue feel heavy and dull inside of her mouth. It was obvious that there was unfinished business between her and Damon, but it would have to be sorted out at a later time. She is on the verge of giving him some semblance of an apology, but the moment disappears when Damon turns his back on her and answers the phone.

Not wanting to eavesdrop on his conversation, Bonnie turns around and makes her way out of the basement. As she heads towards the staircase that will lead her to the guest bathroom on the second floor, her thoughts begin to drift to Enzo. After the day that she had, all she wanted to do was go home and crawl in bed and let the man she loves take away the pain and misery that she was feeling. Reaching into her pocket, she pulls out his phone and dials his number before placing it against her ear. She frowns when her call instantly goes to voicemail.

That's strange, she thinks to herself as she tries to redial the number again only to get the same result. Maybe his phone died or he was out of range. She had been to the Armory plenty enough times to know that the area wasn't well known for it's cell phone reception.

After returning her phone back to her pocket, she continues her trek upstairs. She was turning left to go to the guest bathroom, but the sound of soft grunting and hissing catches her attention. From the sounds of it, the noises were coming from Stefan Salvatore's bedroom. Heading in that direction, she curiously peeks inside of the room and finds the younger Salvatore brother hanging from a pull up bar wedged in the rafters in the ceiling. He was wearing white ear plugs connected to a black IPod that was secured tightly on his bulging bicep and his shirt was abandoned on the floor leaving his muscular chest covered with sweat completely exposed to her wide eyes. She feels a warm blush creep up the back of her neck as she notices the veins transparent in his outstretched arms. Her eyes slowly trails from his muscular chest, down to his impressive abs and finally rested at his lower half that was covered gray sweat pants. She quickly diverted her eyes when the noticeable bulge in his pants revealed that he wasn't wearing any underwear. Several strands of his caramel colored hair is matted to his forehead and his eyes are squeezed shut as he continues to work out to the Godsmack soundtrack blaring through the headphones.

Even though he has yet to acknowledge her presence, Stefan is completely aware that he is not alone. He had detected her scent the moment she had stepped foot inside of the Boarding House. Stefan was no stranger to being ogled by women, but the fact that self righteous Bonnie Bennett is openly checking him out causes a slight inflation to his ego.

Releasing his grip on the pull up bar, Stefan opens his eyes and drops down to the floor with cat like reflexes and lands on his feet gracefully.

"Hey, Bennett," he smiles as he grabs a white towel off of his bed and wipes it across his face and his body, "If you came to watch me work out, I'm afraid that you missed the main show. I am just finishing up."

Bonnie blinks owlishly as she watches him slowly stroll over to his dresser. Opening the top drawer, he pulls out a black Hanes T-shirt before sliding it over his head.

"Sorry," she stammers flustered, "I was just on my way to the bathroom to get cleaned up. I didn't mean to intrude."

"No need to apologize, Bon," he grins as he shoves his muscular arms through the holes in the shirt. "You are welcomed in my bedroom anytime."

The sultry innuendo in his tone was clear and it snapped Bonnie out the semi trance that she had been locked in the moment she had stepped foot inside of his bedroom.

"On that note, I'll be on my way," she mumbles turning to leave the room. Unfortunately for her, Stefan's supernatural agility blocks her path causing her exit from the room to be delayed.

Stefan's teasing smile slowly faded as he took in Bonnie's appearance. Her shirt was wet with a familiar substance that reeked of copper and iron and there was a pretty nasty cut on her cheek.

"You have blood on your shirt," he growls as he lightly fingers the hem of her shirt. Bonnie tenses as she feels his cool finger pads innocently graze the warm patch of skin beneath her navel.

"Don't worry. It's not mine," she swallows nervously feeling the air between them to become thick and heavy with tension.

Stefan hums quietly as the corners of his lips twitches upward into a knowing smile. "I'm aware that it's not your blood. If it was yours, it would smell a lot richer. It would smell absolutely mouth watering."

Bonnie feels uneasy as she watches his forest green eyes darken noticeably. Being under the watchful gaze of an infamous Ripper who was familiar with how she tasted was a little unnerving, but fortunately for her, Stefan was the least of her problems.

"Kai's alive," she blurts out abruptly. Immediately the flirtatious look on his face disappeared and was replaced with shock and disbelief. Bonnie swallows the lump in her throat before continuing. "He used some poor girl to send us a sick message. If that wasn't' bad enough, Kai compelled her to remember the entire horrific ordeal which led to all hell breaking lose. I tried to talk her down, but she became frantic and cut me. She didn't mean to hurt me, but Damon reacted before I could protect her and now she is dead. Damon is in the basement securing her body so that she won't be a danger to others when she begins to transition."

A pregnant pause fills the room.

"How are you dealing with everything?" he asks quietly as his eyes searches her face intensely, "I know that this can't be easy for you."

Bonnie exhales heavily as she scrubs her hand across her face.

"I'm exhausted and I'm terrified," she admits quietly." I never thought that I would have to face him again."

Stefan can see the tears forming in her eyes and he feels something twist in his chest.

"Hey, listen to me," he orders gently. Bonnie obeys meekly and the look that she sees on his face both robs her of her breath and leaves her frightened. "Kai is not going to get another chance to hurt you. He may be some creepy blood sucking, magic wielding hybrid, but I have at least one hundred and sixty three years on the kid. I will make what Damon did to him look like child's play."

Despite feeling overwhelmed with emotions, Bonnie finds herself smiling. It was the second time that day that a Salvatore vampire had vowed to protect her from Kai, and while Bonnie always saw herself as being a solider rather than a damsel in distress, it was nice to have people who cared enough to keep her safe from harm. Her inner musings are cut short when she feels Stefan gently cup of her jaw in the palm of his large hand.

"Why didn't you let Damon take care of that?" he asks softly as he observes the deep scratch closely.

Bonnie smiles sheepishly. "I was upset with him and I didn't want his help so I told him that I could take care of it myself."

The green eyed vampire chuckles as he shakes his head amused.

"A face like yours is far too attractive to bear such an ugly disfigurement. If you will allow me, I would very much like to help you get rid of it, "he offers huskily.

Bonnie wasn't a woman who was easily flustered by random accolades, but the easy way that Stefan's compliment rolled off his tongue leaves her feeling light headed.

"Uh, sure. Thanks," she stammers wide eyed.

Inserting his thumb in between his lips, Stefan suckles on it gently before removing the digit from his mouth and running it firmly across the cut on Bonnie's cheek. She winces at the slight pain that the pressure brings, but it quickly eases up and the cut begins to heal. She stands perfectly steal allowing him to repeat the movement of stroking the wounded flesh that stretched from the corner of her right lip all the way to the outside skin of her earlobe. Bonnie knows that what he doing is innocent and meant to aide her, but something about the way that he is healing her makes her feel apprehensive. His hands are large, yet surprisingly soft. The way that he let his fingertips innocently brush her lower lip left a warm feeling in the pit of her stomach. His bright forest green eyes that she had become so use to being focused on Caroline and Elena for so long has trapped her in the spot where she stands, and for some god forsaken reason, she finds that she cannot move. After the horrific evening that she had, it was nice to be on the receiving of such warmth and tenderness. Even if it was coming from someone she wasn't quite sure that she could trust.

"There," he smiles as he removes his hand from her face, "All better."

She lifts her hand and skims her fingertips across her cheek and finds that the cut has complete disappeared.

"If being a Ripper ever gets boring, you could always find work in plastic surgery," she jokes lightly trying to lighten the mood.

Stefan laughs as he shoves his fist into his sweat pants and stares at her, his eyes twinkling in amusement. "That's actually not a bad idea. I could get use to the idea of being surrounded by beautiful women who would consider me god like."

Bonnie rolls her eyes as she watch as he smirks arrogantly.

"I don't know who has the bigger ego. You or Damon," she teases as she folds her arms across her chest.

Stefan bites down on his lips as he lowers his gaze to the floor briefly.

"I like to think that Damon packs a pretty big ego, while I pack a pretty big-" Stefan is interrupted when Damon expectantly makes his way into the room.

It was clear by the sour look on the blue eyed vampire's face that he had heard the tail end of Stefan and Bonnie's playful conversation. As he makes his way deeper into the room, Damon comes to a stop when he is only a couple of inches away from Bonnie. Whether it was intentional or not, his positioning leaves Bonnie sandwiched between the two brothers and the feeling of being in the middle of the two brooding vampires makes her wish that she was any other place than where was in that moment.

"I'm going to get cleaned up," Bonnie croaks weakly as she maneuvers out the awkward position she was in and hightailing towards the exit of the room.

Once she was out of the room, Damon turns his glare onto his brother who has the audacity to look smug.

"You two looked pretty cozy," Damon notes surly, "She treats me like shit stuck on the bottom of her shoe, but one second alone with you and she is acting like you are the best thing since sliced bread.'

Stefan shrugs nonchalantly as he picks up the towel he used to clean up with after his work out and walked across the room depositing in the hamper. "Cut her some slack, Damon. She's had a pretty bad day."

Damon sighs softly. "Unfortunate for our little witch, her day is about to get worse."

Stefan frowns and he could tell by the distraught look on his brother's face that there was something he wasn't telling him.

"What's going on?" he asks curiously.

Damon doesn't answer. Instead he sits on the edge of his Stefan's bed and buries his face in his hands. Damon's body language and his reluctance to be forth coming made Stefan realize that he wasn't going to like what his brother was hesitating to reveal.

"Damon, spit it out. What's wrong?" Stefan pressed impatiently.

The raven haired vampire lifts his head, his pale face twisted with frustration and desperation. "Apparently Sybil is determined to make my life a living hell and since she can't get to me directly, she decided to use Enzo. She has taken him hostage and will only release him if I agree to exchange him for Elena."

Stefan's brow furrows as he stands silently processing this new development. First Cade decides to insert himself into Bonnie's life, then Kai makes a surprising appearance from the dead and now Sybil was holding Enzo hostage in exchange for Elena? Bonnie was definitely having the worst week ever.

"It looks like you are stuck between a rock and a hard place, Damon. What are you going to do?" Stefan asked he leaned against his bed post and folded his arms across his chest. Damon's blue eyes were bright and wild as he was at a loss on how to answer his younger brother's inquiry. Damon knew that without a shadow of a doubt that Sybil wanted Elena because she had come to realize that the doppelganger was the only way to control him, but he wasn't about to put the woman he loved in the hands of the unstable siren. He knew that his refusal to hand over Elena would bring dire consequences, but he wasn't ready to risk Elena's wellbeing for Enzo. Stefan seemed to realize the conclusion that Damon had arrived at, and he couldn't hide his disgust.

"You do realize that if you don't hand Elena over, Sybil is just going to torture him or worse," he reminds him sharply, "I know that you have no loyalty towards Enzo. You have made that clear a long time ago. What about Bonnie? Where is your loyalty to her?"

Damon stares at Stefan stupidly. Rising from the bed, he approaches his brother and doesn't stop until they are standing toe to toe with one another.

"Who the hell do you think you are questioning my loyalty to Bonnie?" he hisses, his face clouded with anger, "She's my best friend. You don't think I don't know what losing Enzo will do to her? It will destroy her and that is the last thing that I want."

Stefan stares Damon down unwaveringly. "Put your money where your mouth is. Give Sybil what she wants."

Damon grits his teeth and takes a step back feeling frustrated and helpless. "I can't jeopardize Elena. Sybil is dangerous and unstable and letting her anywhere near Elena is too big of a risk. There has to be another way."

"There is no other way, Damon," Stefan snaps, "You either give Elena up or you abandon Enzo and watch as Bonnie suffers. What's it going to be?"

"I can't do it," Damon grumbles quietly.

Stefan shakes his head as he laughs bitterly. He wasn't surprised that Damon's devotion to Elena ran so deep that he would put her wellbeing above everything and everyone else. There had been a time where Stefan had shared that same devotion for the girl he had once believed to be his epic love, but those days have come and gone. Elena was the one who always required sacrifice in order to remain safe. Bonnie was always the one who made sacrifice just so Elena could remain untouched. Stefan was tired of watching Damon behave like a love sick puppy for Elena at the expense of someone he claimed was his best friend. He decides that now is the perfect time to call his brother out.

"Elena is always going to be the only person that matters to you, isn't she? You are willing to put your relationship with her above any and everything. You pretty much spit in my face when you decided to go after her when she and I were together and now you are jeopardizing your friendship with Bonnie because as long as you can hold on to Elena and the delusional fantasy you have of you two having a future together, no one and nothing else matters."

Damon lifts his head and stares at Stefan coldly. He knew his brother was right. Elena meant more to him than anything and when it came to keeping her safe and choosing between the needs of his brother, or the needs of his best friend, he would chose Elena. Every. Single. Time. It wasn't something he was proud of. In fact, there were times he felt somewhat resentful for Elena having such power over him, but he couldn't help the fact that he was deeply in love with her. He knew that Stefan and Bonnie deserved better than what he had to offer, but the reality was that nothing would change the fact that Elena was always come first to him.

Swallowing the lump that formed in his throat, he begins to make his way to the exit of the room.

"Where are you going?" Stefan inquires stiffly.

Damon pauses in his retreat and turns back around to face Stefan.

"I told Ric that I would help get him and his little family out of town tonight. As long as Kai is on the loose, the twins are in danger. When I come back, I'm going to borrow your perfectly styled hero hair and find a way to save Enzo without having to hand Elena over," he informs, his voice hard and filled with shark.

"Are you going to tell Bonnie that the woman obsessed with you is holding her boyfriend hostage, or would you like me to break the news to her?" Stefan asks brusquely.

"You are not going to tell her anything because I am handing the situation," the blue eyed vampire snarls, "You and I both know if Bonnie finds that Enzo has been taken, she will go off half cocked and put herself in a dangerous situation where she will inevitably end up hurt or worse."

Stefan swears quietly under his breath. As much as he hates to agree with Damon, he had a valid point. Bonnie wasn't the type of girl who sit on her hands while someone she cared about was in danger. He knew her well enough to know that the moment that she learned the truth about Enzo's predicament, she would go on a rescue mission and try to save him despite the fact that she was powerless and without her magic.

Before the brothers could discuss the issue any further, Bonnie re entered the room with a bashful smile on her face.

"I don't mean to interrupt, but I'm tired and I'm going to head home," she starts but is interrupted when Damon scowls in disapproval.

"Kai is still out there. You aren't safe," he protests.

"I'll be safe within the walls of my home. As long as I don't leave, I will be fine," she points out gently, "Besides, Enzo should be heading home by now and he's more than capable of keeping me protected."

Bonnie was too distracted to notice the looks being exchanged between the two brothers. If she hadn't been preoccupied with the fact that she was unable to contact her boyfriend, she would have noticed that Damon's eyes was filled with guilt. If she wasn't distracted with fleeting thoughts of Kai hunting her down and tormenting her, she would have noticed that Stefan jaw was clenched with tension.

Damon cleared his throat before slowly approaching Bonnie.

"Actually Enzo is with Ric and Caroline. He is helping me escort them to a safe house in New York so that Kai won't be able to hurt them," Damon lied quickly, "We figured that it would be best if there wasn't any phone communication until we are successful in getting Ric and the girls into hiding."

Bonnie nods somberly. "That is a good idea. When it comes to the crazed lunatic, it's best to take all precautions. Since you will be seeing Enzo before I do, can you give him a message for me?"

The hopeful look on Bonnie's face made Damon feel lie shit for deceiving her, but deep down he knew it was the right thing to do.

"Of course," he says hoarsely.

Bonnie blushes noticeably.

"Just tell him to be careful and tell him," she falters quietly, "Tell him that I love him."

Damon shifts his weight from one foot to another feeling uncomfortable. He has always known that Bonnie loved Enzo, but to hear her say it and watch the truth of her words reflect in her moss green eyes causes an uncomfortable knot to twist inside of his stomach. He didn't understand what about her love for Enzo made him feel uneasy, but he sure as hell didn't want to find out. As the silence in the room became painfully awkward, Damon combs his fingers through his hair and forces a smile.

"Listen, Bon. I'll make sure he gets the message. In the meantime, I need you to stay here," he insists.

Bonnie frowns and shakes her head. "That's not going to happen. I want to go home."

"Now is not to be difficult, Bon Bon," he argues.

Before the two can engaged in a verbal sparring match, Stefan quickly interjects himself between them.

"Relax, guys. There is a simple solution to this. Bonnie, I will take you home and keep you company and Damon can go help Ric and Enzo get the twins to safety." Stefan suggests before turning to address his brother, "Is this option alright with you?"

"Yeah, Damon? Is this option alright with you?" Bonnie mocks with traces of pettiness and hostility in her voice.

The nerve in Damon's jaw jumps noticeably as he towers over Bonnie with a dangerous look in his pale blue eyes. She was still pissed off at him and he hates that she is still holding a grudge, but he is done apologizing to her when he believes he didn't do anything wrong. The defiance and the anger he sees lurking beneath the surface of olive green eyes makes him want to grab her by the shoulders and pin her up against the nearest wall and yell at her until she got it through her thick skull that he is not her enemy. The temptation is so strong that he feels his fingers itch as he takes a another threatening step towards her. While most people would have the common sense to back down from a confrontation involving a seething vampire, Bonnie wasn't most people. She actually had the nerve to remain rooted in the spot where she stood with her chin lifted high and her hands balled into tiny fists at her are standing so close to one another that Damon could feel Bonnie's breast pressed against his chest and Bonnie could feel Damon's warm mouth fanning across her lips.

"Well, Damon," she murmurs softly as she continues to taunt him, "Is it okay for me to return home without my murderous shadow?"

The seething vampire licks his lips slowly and deliberately as he struggles to refrain from losing his temper. The only reason why she is so cocky is because Stefan was in the room and they both know that he would stop Damon before he had the chance to put his hands on her. It wasn't like Damon had any intentions of harming her, but he knew there are ways of getting under her skin and making that smug smile disappear off of that smart ass mouth of hers. Speaking of mouths, his eyes lowered to hers and a slow demented smile creeps across his face. Even though it only lasted a mere few seconds, Damon could see the flicker of fear in Bonnie's face.

"Don't push me, Bon Bon," he warns her while holding her gaze.

Bonnie inhales sharply before taking a cautious step back. She didn't miss the flash of victory that flickered across the vampire's pale blue eyes.

"I have to go, but this," Damon growls using his hand to motion between them, "This isn't over. Not by a long shot."

Before Bonnie could respond to his thinly veiled threat, Damon had already disappeared from the room.

"Yikes," Stefan grimaces as he glances down at Bonnie who is currently brooding. "That wasn't awkward at all."

Bonnie rolls her eyes and shakes her head wearily. "I'm heading home. You can follow me if you want, or you can just stay here. I just need to get the hell out of here."

Stefan nods sympathetically. "Let me grab my keys."

 **End Note: Please review and let me know what you think.**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: I feel like I need to say this. I don't hate Enzo. I actually liked his character in season five before they jacked him up and used him for pointless plot fodder. I think people hate him because he was paired with Bonnie in a failed attempt to appease Bamon fans and to reassure Delena fans that Bamon would never happen. I don't believe Enzo deserves the hate that he gets. It's not the character's fault that the writers basically made him out to be a diet version of Damon. *shrugs* Anyhoo...on with the story.**

 _ **Somewhere in the Mediterranean**_

 _ **750 B.C.**_

 _"Transit umbra, lux permanet. Transit umbra, lux permanet. Transit umbra, lux permanet."_

 _Cade's dark eyes slowly opened as he removed his large hands from the face of the young girl lying peacefully on a bed of straw. The child, Bethany, had a head full of raven black curls and her porcelain face was the perfect picture of sweet innocence. However, it was her eyes that tugged at the psychic's heart strings. They were large and green, but they were also haunted and filled with so much pain and sadness. When Bethany's mother had come to him for help, she had been hysterical and overcome with desperation. At first, Cade had been confused as to what was ailing the child, but the moment that he entered her mind, it had all become very clear. Bethany had suffered a tremendous trauma after witnessing the tragic death of her older brother. The siblings had been swimming in a small creek outside of the village when her brother had slipped and hit his head on a rock which led to his drowning and death. Bethany had been so scarred by the incident that she had suffered a psychotic break which caused her to shut down verbally and emotionally._

 _"Those words that you are chanting...what do they mean?" she inquired, her voice shy but curious._

 _Cade smiled warmly as he turned to face her. "Shadow passes, light remains. It means that the darkness that has soiled your daughter's soul is gone, and the purity of her spirit remains."_

 _The woman's face brightened noticeably._

 _"I don't know how to begin to thank you for helping my daughter," she said, her voice trembling dangerously as tears flowed down her cheeks. "I thought she was lost to me forever."_

 _"Whatever you hold close to your heart can never be lost," he informed sagely._

 _The woman reached down into her pocket attempting to fish out several pieces of silver coins, but the psychic held his hand up stopping her._

 _"No payment is required," Cade said softly._

 _"You are God sent," she whispered before placing a kiss on his cheek before lifting her child from the bed and exiting the hut._

 _Cade followed her out and shielded his eyes from the beams of sunlight that assaulted his vision. It was always beautiful in the village and today was no exception. The sky was blue and cloud free and the temperature was a perfect seventy five degrees on that Summer afternoon. It was Cade's favorite time of the year. The air smelled of ocean and nature, the wind was nothing more than a gentle breeze caressing his slightly dampened skin and the sounds of horses naying happily and birds chirping cheerfully filled the air. Even if he could travel the world, he doubt there would be any other place where he would want to call home._

 _"Cade! Cade! I need your help!"_

 _The smiling psychic looked up to see a young girl in her early teens making her way towards him with urgency in her every step she took. Her hazel brownish green eyes reflected like jewels in the sun and her goldish brown hair tumbled around her shoulders in thick and beautiful dreadlocks. As she drew closer to him, he noticed that she was gently cradling a white dove with a broken wing in her tiny hands. The wing was bandaged with a piece of cloth that she had torn from the sleeve on her dress. While it was frowned upon for the women in the village to walk around with any parts of her skin exposed, the young girl in front of him had never been the type to be constrained by the rules of society. She was a rebel in every sense of the word and she marched to the beat of her own drum. That was on of the very many reasons why Cade adored her. He couldn't have asked the gods for a more perfect sister._

 _"What happened, Akello?" he asked gently as he rests his hands on her shoulders._

 _She stares up at him sadly. "A couple of the other kids in the village found her by the well and was throwing rocks at her. They were going to kill her, but I stopped in before they could. Unfortunately I didn't get to her fast enough. I think her wing is broken."_

 _Cade sighed and shook his head in disappointment. While he liked to believe that most people of the village were good people, there were a few who tended to worry him with their mischievous way and their lack of respect for all creatures great and small._

 _"I'm sorry, little one, but there is nothing you can do for this bird. You must allow nature to take it's course," he said quietly._

 _Akello frowned as she stared up at him confused._

 _"That is not true, Arcadius. We both know that I have the ability to save her. You just have to let me," she protested vehemently._

 _Arcadius eyes widened in surprise as he stared down at his sister's pleading face. He wasn't the only one in their family who had been gifted with extraordinary abilities. While he had psychic abilities, Akello had been gifted with the ability to restore life and the ability to take it away. They had discovered her incredible gift when she had been very young. They had been walking through a field similar to the one they were in now and had come across an expiring sunflower. Akello had felt saddened by the tragic state of the flower and had stroked the dead petals sadly. Second later, the sunflower sprung back to life as if it had never died. At the time, Akello was only four years old and Arcadius had been concerned that it was too much power for her to have at such a young age. For her protection, he had put her into a deep sleep before slipping into her mind and blocking the part of her brain that could access her powers._

 _Seeing the bewildered look on her brother's face, Akello laughed amused._

 _"What's the matter? Did you think that I wouldn't remember?" she teased lightly._

 _Arcadius swallowed with great difficulty as guilt flashed across his dark face. He had hoped that Akello would never learn the truth about how she came to lose the ability to create life and it saddened and amazed him that she had been aware of what he had done this entire time and he hadn't even been aware of it._

 _"You must harbor anger and resentment for what I have done. Please for give me, sister," he apologized as he bowed his head in shame._

 _Akello smiled before cupping her brother's face inside of her small hands forcing him to look at her._

 _"Why would I be angry with you, Cade? I know that you did what you had to do to protect me," she said softly, "I was too young to handle that much power and responsibility. Now that I am older, I think you should trust me."_

 _"I do trust you, little one," he insisted._

 _"Then what are you so afraid of?" she asked confused._

 _"You are extremely powerful. You have the ability to give life and you have the ability to take it. The power that you wield is unlimited, but it is also very dangerous. If you are not careful, you could very well bring this world to it's knees," he warned gently._

 _"I do not wish to destroy the world," she pouted indignantly, "I want to help others the way you do. What can be so bad about that?"_

 _"You have a good heart, Akello. I'm afraid that others would mistake your kindness for weakness and use your gift for their own selfish agenda," he protested._

 _"You once told me that to master others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power. I'm not naïve. I know that there are bad people in this world. It's not them you have to trust, Cade. You have to trust me and know that I will not allow myself to be manipulated by people who have ill intentions," she said passionately._

 _Cade stared down at her feeling his heart swell in his chest. When had the little girl he had raised on his own since she was two grow up and because so wise and strong?_

 _Reaching inside of his shirt, he removed a small necklace that contained a small golden ring attached to it._

 _'I wanted to wait until your eighteenth birthday to give you this, but you have convince me that now is the right time," he murmured before placing the jewelry in the palm of her hands._

 _"What is this?" she asked curiously._

 _"It belonged to our mother," he smiled fondly as he watched her hold the trinket up to the sun and examine it closely. "Nosce Te Ipsum," she whispers, her pretty face twisted in confusion as she looked up at her brother, "What does that mean?"_

 _"Nosce Te Ipsum, means know thy self. When you get older, you will understand," he smiled gently._

 _Her little nose twitched as she sneezed quietly. Rubbing her eyes, she stared up at him with wonder in her bright eyes._

 _"Where did mama get it from? " she asked curiously._

 _"It's been in our family for years," he begins, "Past on from generation to generation. It was created to protect and anchor us to our abilities. When I first came into my abilities, I was terrified of the things that I could do. I tried to hide from it, but I quickly learned a very important lesson. When it comes to destiny and fate, you simply cannot hide from it," he said softly, "This ring connects with the power inside of you and allows you to operate at your greatest potential."_

 _She smiled as he slowly slid the piece of jewelry on her right ring finger. Almost immediately, she felt a rush of power surge through her stealing her breath._

 _Placing her hand on the winged creatures chest, she closed her eyes and her mouth parted slightly. Cade felt the wind pick up and the sky darken noticeably. As his eyes lowered to the bird trapped between his sister's finger, he saw they bird chest stopped moving. He was preparing to tell Akello that it was too late when suddenly the birds eyes flew opened and the bird wings surged open. Akello grins happily before tossing the dove into the air where it took flight and flew upwards towards the sky joining a flock that was soaring by._

 _"You think that he will find his old family?" she asks softly as she slipped her small hand inside of Arcadius large one._

 _"If she doesn't, I'm sure she will find another bird to make another one with," he reassured her giving her tiny fingers a gentle squeeze before leading her back towards the village._

 _As the walked past the locksmith shop, Arcadius spotted Henry, the owner, outside working on a metal horse shoe that he was wielding over an open fire. He noticed Henry eyes locked on Akello who was innocently humming a tune while smiling and waving at the other villagers who greeted her warmly. Releasing his sister's hand, he made his way over to the lock smith and tried to ignore the waves of anger he felt as he caught flashes of impure thoughts going through the other man's head. These images were of Akello crying and screaming while Henry held her down and pawed savagely at the skirts of her dress. Noticing the less than appealing glare that he was receiving from Arcadius, Henry's face turns a particular shade of pale as he instantly becomes nervous and defensive. Dropping his tool on the wooden bench, he wiped his hand on a dirty rag before making his way over to the psychic._

 _"Is there something that I can help you with?" Henry asked, his voice hard and cold._

 _Cade struggled to keep his uneasiness and discomfort at bay as he forced a smile. "Actually, I was about to ask you that very same question."_

 _The Locksmith flinches noticeably as he realized that Cade was aware of the dirty and impure thoughts that had come across his mind. Immediately he forced his previous thoughts to the back of his mind hoping that the psychic wouldn't be able to have access to them, but unbeknownst to the short and unattractive man, Cade could still see them and it was making him quake with anger._

 _The tension between the two men was thick causing the other villagers who were passing by to stop and whisper curiously amongst one another._

 _"I don't need your help and I would advise that you move along now, boy," he said stiffly before turning and heading back into his shop. The hostility that he heard in the locksmith's voice made every muscle in the psychic's body coil. There was something about that man that wasn't just bad. Beneath the surface there was something wicked about him and it bothered him deeply. Cade was about to go after him when Akello grabbed his hand. While he knew that she was unaware of what suddenly had soured his mood, she could sense his anger and it frightened her and that made his heart twist inside of his chest. He hated when she was scared and he knew that in order to . Especially since she was use to him always being good natured and happy. Seeing the worry on her innocent little face made his anger slowly fade and he smiled down at her tenderly._

 _"Come on, little one. It's time for dinner."_

#

"Thank you for dining at Bandiera. I hope you have enjoyed the experience."

The sound of a waitress soft sultry voice broke Cade out of the memory of his sister. Looking up, he watched her place a black leather check book next to his cup of hot Soumada. He is sitting a small Mediterranean restaurant outside of Richmond, Virginia. The interior was small and intimate and the ambience was warm and inviting. The sound of Zen like music filled the air and served as the soundtrack for the belly dancer who was moving and gyrating leaving her audience captive and hypnotize. Starring down at the meal in front of him, he couldn't help but feel nostalgic. While he has no need for food of nutrients, he takes comfort in dining on foods that reminds him of the home he had once shared with his sister in his past life. As he twists the ring on his hand, he feels a bittersweet wave of nostalgia wash over him. Thinking of Akello makes him miss her free spirit and her virtuous ways. She had been so innocent and had been the purest thing that he had ever known. He closes his eyes as he recalls the sounds of Akello's screams as they held her down and made her watch as he was burned to death. He would never forgive them for separating him from her.

When the treacherous villagers had murdered Cade, his death had triggered a psychic blasts that opened a dimension that was infamously known as hell. Before taking his last breath, he had used the last bit of psychic energy that he had to wrap Akello in a protective cocoon sparring her from the hellish fate that had befallen those who had betrayed him. After he had become reborn in hell, he had attempted to find her, but unfortunately, he had lost her in a dimension that was trapped between all worlds. Only a psychic that had the potential to be as powerful as he was could open the portal to Akello's world. That psychic would serve as the perfect vessel that would allow Akello to return back to the land of the living. After spending centuries searching for psychics who could fit the profile and help bring Akello back to him, he had began to lose hope that he would ever be reunited with his long lost sister again. That hope had been restored when he had come across a very special young woman. That woman was Bonnie Bennett.

Thinking of the little witch made a genuine smile creep across his full lips. When he had run into her in the woods, he had tapped into her psychic energy allowing him to see memories of her past, her character, the depth of her soul. It was that night in the woods when he had realized that Bonnie wasn't like most people that he came across. In fact, if he as to be honest with himself, there was something about her that reminded him of his precious Akello. Bonnie's willingness to help people who didn't deserve her assistance and her rare selflessness was what set her apart from the other psychics he had known in past lifetimes. Her willingness to sacrifice herself in order to protect her friends and innocent people from harm made her very virtuous and very admirable in his eyes. In the days to come, Bonnie would serve a very important purpose in gaining the one thing he wanted the most. That is why he wanted to keep her safe and protected at all cost.

"Cade?"

The brooding psychic looks up to see Sybil standing at his table with a uneasy look on her pretty face. Motioning towards the chair opposite of him, he silently invited her to join him. As she made herself comfortable, he took a sip of his hot almond drink as he observed her quietly. Every chocolate strand of hair on her head was in place, her outfit was sharp and sleek and her face was delicately touched with the bare minimum amount of make up and her mouth was touched with a sweet smile that revealed a slight bit of discomfort. While Sybil was the picture of exquisiteness, it was the odd looking broach on her white blouse that caught his attention.

"That's quite a beautiful pendant you have there," Cade murmurs with a knowing look in his dark cold eyes. "Did someone develop an appreciation for mystical jewelry or can I assume that you are wearing it because you don't trust me?"

"Both," the siren admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

Cade smirks as he stirs his almond drink slowly with a silver spoon. "Fair enough."

The two sat in a tense silence as they watch a belly dancer perform on the small stage under a haunting purplish light surrounded by vanilla white candles.

"So you are probably wondering why I have summoned you here," he started.

"If it was to share a romantic candlelight meal with you, I would have dressed appropriately,"she smiles sweetly.

Her smile quickly fades as she realize that the look on her master's face shows that he is no mood for her playfulness.

"Why don't you just give me a progress report of what you have been up to," he says coldly.

"Well Kai succeeded in sending a message to Bonnie about his newly found lease on life. The girl that he sent in to do his bidding was suppose to expose Damon's secret like you wanted, but before she could, she went off the rails and attacked Bonnie which led to Damon snapping her neck."

Cade glowers at her frustrated.

"Bonnie was suppose to remain unharmed and Tiffany was suppose to remain alive," he whispers angrily slamming his fist on the table and causing several glances from the diners to be cast in thier direction.

The belly dancer stops gyrating and stares in his direction nervously, but after an apologetic smile and a slight nod from Cade, she continues dancing on beat to the music.

Sybil swallows nervously as she toys with the hem of the tablecloth hanging over her lap. The last thing she wanted to do was upset Cade. She knew from personal experience that he could be very spiteful when it came to punishing those who failed him.

"Technically she is. Damon's blood was in her system at the time of her death so she should be in the process of transitioning," she explains quickly.

Cade mulls this piece of information over for several moments before he hums approvingly. As he pulls Cuban cigar out of the inside pocket of his jacket, he silently mulls on the situation that Sybil briefed him on. While having Tiffany transition into a vampire hadn't been apart of his initial plan, he had to admit that if they played their cards right, they could turn this little mishap into a happy accident. He had wanted the Founder Counsel to become Bonnie's new adversary and had planned on using Ethan Sharp to reveal how intolerant and cruel that the average mortal men could be. Now that Tiffany was preparing to join the vampire population there was the very real possibility that he would be getting what he wanted sooner than he had expected. Perhaps Sybil wasn't as big of a disappoint as he originally thought.

"The girl being turned into a vampire could work to our advantage. Once the mayor learns that his daughter is the very thing that the Founder's Counsel is designed to get rid of, things are going to get very interesting," he says with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Watching the tension fade from Cade's face, Sybil found herself breathing much easier. The last thing she wanted to do was anger her master. She knew from past experience that Cade could be very vengeful when he was disappointed.

"May I asks you a personal question?" Sybil asks anxiously.

Cade removes the cigar from between his lips and places it in the crystal ash tray on the right side of the table.

"If you must," he concedes with a thinly veiled look of annoyance on his face.

"What is it that is so special about Bonnie Bennett?" she questions, her voice quiet and filled with traces of bitterness. "You insists on keeping her unharmed like she is some rare gem, Enzo is practically a blithering idiot when it comes to his feelings for her and Damon is irritatingly loyal to her."

"Why does that bother you, Sybil? I gave you the gift to have anything and everything that you could ever want. Instead of using your abilities to your advantage, you are too busy coveting a young woman who is harmless. I must say that petty jealousy is beneath you," he chuckles in amusement.

"I'm not jealous," she retorts indignantly, "I just don't see her appeal. She is just some washed up witch who surrounds herself with vampires so she can maintain a sense of self importance."

Cade smirks at Sybil's less than objective observation of Bonnie. He knew that the siren was powerful and arrogant, but beneath all of her bravado, he knew that she was deeply insecure. In the past, he had always considered her self esteem issues a mild annoyance, but now that he was dealing with Bonnie, Cade was beginning to suspect that Sybil was going to become a problem, and he did not like problems.

"All you need to know is that Bonnie is very special to me. She is unlike any woman that I have ever met," Cade admits with a look of fondness in his dark eyes. Seeing her scowl, he frowns warily. "You can feel whatever you want about Bonnie, but you will stay the course and follow through with our plan. She is to remain unharmed. Am I understood?"

"Yes," she whispers softly.

Leaning forward, he glares at her in a way that makes all the blood drain from her pretty face.

"I'm getting really tired of repeating myself, Sybil. Let me remind you that you are expendable, and if I don't feel like I have any use for you anymore, I will not hesitate to extinguish you," he warns softly, "Do you understand me?"

Sybil nods holding back tears of humiliation. She hated when Cade spoke to her as if she was just some insignificant bug that was beneath him. She had served him obediently and faithfully for many lifetimes and he still made it clear that she meant absolutely nothing to him. Sybil was never a woman to asks for much. She did what was asked of her while she kept her own desires in check. Now she found the one thing that would take away her loneliness and gave her a sense of purpose and that was Damon Salvatore. If Sybil couldn't have Cade's affection and respect, she was determined to get it from Damon by any means necessary.

"Is there something you wish to say to me?" Cade asks observing her curiously.

"After all of this is over, you promised me that I can have Damon all to myself. You promised me that you would make him love me and we can be free of you forever," she reminded, her voice small and shaky.

Cade stared at her unable to hide the contempt and disgust that he felt for the siren. She had the potential to be one of his most infamous disciples, but it was always her need for validation and affection that kept her from being someone he could genuinely respect.

"I know what I promised you," he bites out annoyed.

Sybil pushes her hair out of her face and forces a smile.

"I didn't mean to imply that you didn't," she mumbles, "I just want to make sure that when all of this is over, we both will get what we deserve."

"I assure you, Sybil," Cade promises, his cold black eyes filled with darkness, "You will get exactly what you deserve."

 _In the end, everyone will_ , he thinks to himself sinisterly.

#

"Rise and shine sleeping beauty," Kai drawls as he snaps his finger underneath the nose of the semi conscious vampire strapped down to the chair in front of him. "It's time for you and I to get acquainted."

Enzo eyes snaps open and he look around disoriented before his gaze finally lands on Kai. Immediately, fear and anger wash across his face as he bucks against his restraints. He hisses in pain as the vervained soaked rope burns into his skin causing his attempt to escape the binds to halt abruptly. As he struggled to push through the pain, several questions began to run through his mind. Where the hell was he? Why was Sybil and Kai working together? What did Sybil plan to do with Elena if she got her hands on her? Despite the questions swirling around his head, the most important question concerned the woman that he loved. Where was Bonnie and was she alright? He knew that if Kai was alive, the first thing the psychopath would want to do was to finish the sick game he had engaged Bonnie in before Damon had ripped his head off. The thought of Kai going anywhere near Bonnie made Enzo's gums itch and his eyes to darken murderously.

"Relax, Fonzo. I'm not going to kill you," Kai reassured as he leans against a nearby wall with his arms folded across his chest. "Murder isn't in my marching orders. I am just keeping you company while Sybil is away."

Enzo is tempted to lash out, but he reluctantly remains quiet. He continues to glare at the sciphoner thinking of the many different ways he would enjoy killing him. If Kai noticed Enzo's contempt, he seemed not to mind as observes the Augustine vampire curiously. Looking at Enzo, Kai couldn't help but feel disappointed. If he was to ever picture a man who was worthy of Bonnie, he would have imagined a someone who was vanilla. Someone who volunteered at rescue shelters for animals during the day while conducting youth Bible study in the basement of churches at night. He imagined someone who would give her a bunch of babies and drive a mini van while proudly sporting dad pants. Never in a million years did he think that Bonnie "Saint" Bennett, would have fallen for a blood sucker whose body count was higher than his.

"I bet you are wondering how is it possible that I'm alive when Damon had so eagerly separated my head from my body," Kai says with a pained expression on his face as he recalls the reason behind his death, "Let's just say that I have more luck than a bar full of red headed Irishmen. I think that it's funny how you and I run in the same circle, but we have never really interacted with each other up until now. Why is that?"

"I tend not to have a lot in common with monsters who murder their own family members just for sport," the dark eyed vampire says snippily.

Kai smirks before disappearing into the kitchen. Moment later, he returns with a kitchen chair identical to the one that Enzo was currently strapped down in.

"We may not have things in common, but we do share a mutual acquaintance," he says as he straddles the chair, "Does the name Bonnie Bennett ring a bell?"

Hearing Bonnie's name come out of Kai's mouth made Enzo's blood run cold. Bonnie had told him all about the trauma Kai had exposed her to when he had hunted her down, drugged her, tied her up and hauled her halfway across the country before stabbing her and leaving her to die alone in Prison World. Even though she had mentally recovered from that horrific time in her life and moved forward, there were times when he would find her touching her scar with a hollow face on her face. He never asked her what was on her mind because he already knew. He knew that she was reliving the nightmare Kai had put her through and after every relapse, her demeanor would change drastically. Her eyes would become cold and empty, her lips would curve down into a severe frown and whatever happiness she had been feeling that day would drain out of her. The only way he knew how to bring her back from that particular dark period of her life was for him to take her to their bed and make love to her until the moodiness passed and all thoughts of the man who had nearly broke her would fade back to the darkest corners of her mind.

"I want to know what it is about you that Bonnie finds so lovable?" Kai inquires, his brow furrowing as he scans Enzo from head to toe, " I mean you are a decent looking guy, and the accent is kinda hot, but beyond the physical attributes, I don't see why she abandoned her love for Damon and settled for you."

"Bonnie never loved Damon. You don't know what the hell you are talking about," Enzo growls quietly.

Kai sighs as he shrugs nonchalantly before resting his chin on the back of the chair he was straddling. "Maybe I do, maybe I don't. Let me tell you what I think. I think that going after her true desire was far too frightening for Bonnie and I get it. No one wants to be the act that follows Elena Gilbert. Too much pressure," he says sympathetically with a wicked gleam in his bluish gray eyes. "Oh, but the stories I could tell you about Damon and Bonnie's time together in the prison world. They had that whole, "Will they...won't they..." sexual thing going on. Watching them was better than any soap opera that I had ever seen."

Kai felt giddy as he watched a variety of different emotions flutter across the seething vampire's face. One of the emotions that was clear was jealousy.

"When they are together, Bonnie heart skips a beat. It's barely noticeable, but if you know when to listen for it, you will find it," Kai said softly, "Damon claims to love Elena, and that is true, but he looks at Bonnie in a way that he never looked at Elena. He looks at her and it's like, she is the answer to every question that he has ever had. She is the assurance that washes away all of his doubt. She is more than just his little witch and he is more than her best friend. They are two jagged puzzles that has been lost in some dirty toy chest called life and someone how they manage to not only find their way to each other, they fit. They complete each other."

Enzo felt his chest grow tight as he hung on to Kai's every word. According to Kai, Bonnie and Damon's affections for each other was mutual. He once called Bonnie a lovelorn witch. He knew that Bonnie had felt something for Damon, and he always believed it was one sided because Damon was hopelessly devoted to Elena. Now Kai is painting a picture in Enzo's head and what he was seeing wasn't pretty.

Was Kai right? Did Bonnie chose to be with him only because she believed that she couldn't have the man she really want and chose to settle for the only man who made the effort to stick around? The thought left him feeling insecure and heavy hearted.

Kai tilted his head slightly and gazed at the brooding vampire feeling something that suspiciously resembled sympathy. "When it comes to this thing that is between Damon and your precious girlfriend, nothing really compares to it. I know it and I think you know it too."

Enzo clears his throat uncomfortably.

"Why the hell do you even care about any of all this?" he snarls irked.

A long moment silence passes between them before Kai clears his throat and chews on his bottom lip blushing.

"The truth is that I...I care about her," he confesses softly with a irritated look on his face, "Despite the fact that Bonnie and I have always actively try to kill, maim and destroy each other, I feel like there is something special between us. You know that old saying that there is a thin line between love and hate? I think that if we erased the line completely and let the two merge, Bonnie and I would be electric."

"Not only are you crazy, but you are quite delusional as well," Enzo sneers viciously as he struggles against his binds while glowering at his captor.

Kai laughed mirthlessly.

"I'll tell you what's pathetic. You have been with Bonnie for all of three seconds and you think that your relationship with her is somehow irrelevant?" Kai teases with a mean spirited edge in his voice, "You may be warming Bonster's bed right now, but we both know that isn't going to last forever."

"Even if your insane ramblings are somehow true, at least I had the honor and the privilege of knowing what it's like to be loved by her," Enzo smiles coldly," The only feeling Bonnie will ever have towards you is hate."

Kai's smile faded as Enzo's harsh words cause his heart to twist tightly in his chest.

"You can fantasize about Bonnie all you want to. In fact, I don't blame you. However, we both know that she will always see you for the sadistic and cruel bastard who tortured her and left her to die. I remember her telling me how you once tried to corner her and pretend that you were actually repentant for all the foul things you done to her and how you acted like you gave a damn about her forgiveness," Enzo sighs amused, "Bonnie never believed you were sincere. In fact, the only thing she knew to be true about you is the fact that you are a very sad and pathetic little man."

Kai flew out of his chair so fast that it caught Enzo completely off guard. Gone was the look of whimsy that had previously been etched deeply in Kai Parker's handsome face. In it's place was a mixture of anger and pain.

"Bonnie was wrong about me," he explodes incensed as he towers menacingly over Enzo, "I meant _everything_ I said to her that night at the rave and she refused to hear me out. I made another attempt and practically bared my soul to her in the prison world and she literally and figuratively stabbed me in the back. I tried to make her see that I have changed, but she refused to give me a second chance. She left me behind in that frozen tundra world to be violated in the worse way by Lily's heretics and by doing that, Bonnie sealed her fate. Everything that happened afterwards, all the blood that I shed...that's on her hands."

Kai takes a deep breath and combs his fingers through his hair frustrated. He hated Bonnie and despite his feelings of abhorrence towards her, there was a piece of him that wished that she would have granted him redemption when he had thrown himself at her alter for mercy. "All I ever wanted was for her to give me another chance."

Enzo fights back a smile as his gaze rests on Kai's face twisted with barely contained rage. He can tell by the slight twitch in Kai's right eye and the film of sweat developing over his upper lip that he was beginning to get under the sciphoner's skin. There was the possibility that Kai could have been telling the truth when he said that he felt remorse for the hell that he put Bonnie through, but the days of Bonnie giving forgiveness to a man who had caused her detrimental damage were long gone. Too much has happened and there was no way to rebuild bridges that had already been incinerated to the ground. He realized that Kai thought otherwise because beneath the fury and resentment, Enzo could see the hope and uncertainty lying beneath the surface of Kai's eyes. If the crazed Gemini warlock that there was even a chance Bonnie would come around and offer him them the possibility of redemption, Enzo was more than enthusiastic to crush his expectation.

"Does it eat at you?" Enzo prods quietly as he continues to pour sault in the heretics emotional wound, "Does it bother you that Damon was the one who convinced Bonnie to turn on you and abandon you in the prison world? Does it haunt you that if it hadn't been for Damon manipulating her hatred for you, that Bonnie may have eventually given you the redemption you were so desperately seeking?"

Hearing those words spill from Enzo's lips made Kai's hatred for Damon surge to new heights. When Bonnie had turned on him in the snowy prison world and attempted to use his body as a cutting board, he had known something was terribly wrong. There were a lot of qualities that he had admired about the Bennett witch. She was strong, loyal and brave, but he never thought she could be cold and calculating. Even when she had used her magic to drive a pick axe into his chest back in Kai's original prison world, he knew that she had attacked him because she thought that she was taking the moral high ground and preventing a murderous sociopath from being released back into the real world. While her actions were brutal, he knew that in her mind, they were just. When she stabbed him and left him for dead in Lily Salvatore's prison world, she wasn't acting on the principles of justice. She had been a vengeful woman acting out of spite. She had become a woman he didn't recognize. She had become a woman that he both feared and resented.

Knowing that Damon was responsible for pushing her to such a violent act of retribution made him sick, but knowing Enzo was manipulating that particular moment in Kai's past with Bonnie made him disgusted. Enzo would say anything to keep Kai away from his precious little girlfriend, and while Enzo thought he knew Bonnie more than anyone, Kai was more familiar with the Bonnie than anyone knew. Kai knew that when it came to choosing between her child hood bestie who happened to be a doppelganger magnet for all things dark, twisty and supernatural, and her beau, he knew exactly who Bonnie would save.

"You think that you are pretty clever, Fonzo," Kai murmurs as a demented grin stretched across his face, "Once Bonnie learns that you have been taken, do you really think she is going to hand Elena over to get you back? Think about it. The two people Bonnie loves more than anything in this world is Elena and Damon. Do you seriously believe that she will risk pissing Damon off by sacrificing her childhood bestie just to save someone who has a temporary place in her life?"

Enzo exhaled deeply as he rolled his pink wet tongue across his pearly white teeth.

"I am not just some fling to Bonnie. She loves me and I love her. When she learns that Sybil has me, she will come for me. I may not be sure of very many things, but her loyalty and devotion for me. I have never been more certain of anything in my life," Enzo said passionately.

"Are you willing to bet your life?" Kai asked curiously.

Enzo glared at the Gemini warlock with his lips pursed and his dark eyes narrowed. He knew Bonnie and he knew that she would do anything to save him. She had chosen him over Damon once, and he was certain that when it came down to choosing between him and Elena, she would chose the man she loved.

"Absolutely."

#

"I cannot wait for this night to be over," Bonnie complains as she makes her way up the walkway leading to her house.

"It could be worse," Stefan says lazily as he trails behind her, "You could be trapped in a creepy prison world living the same day over and over again."

Bonnie looks over her shoulder and shoots him a dirty look. He was standing there with his arms folded across his chest and a bored smile on his lips. The sound of cicadas screaming in the night and the taste of rain in the air caused the pounding in her skull to worsen. All she wanted to do was throw a lean cuisine meal into the microwave and chow down on it before taking a long hot shower and curling up in bed. Instead, she was stuck with a snarky vampire who insisted on baby sitting her and a headache that was growing increasingly worse by the moment.

Rolling her eyes, she turns the key in the lock and pushing the door open allowing her entry into he dark foyer. She could smell the apple crisp scent from the wax burner she had left on wafting through the air. The soft sound of Modern Family was coming from the television that was in the living room. Bonnie made it a habit of coming home to a warm house filled with things that appealed to her senses whenever she left her home from a long period of time. Stepping over the threshold, she made her way into the hallway where she turned on the light that illuminated her path to the living room. She was halfway there before she turns around and realizes that Stefan was still standing on the porch. Starring at him, she frowns confused

"You have been inside of this house before, Stefan. You don't need an invitation," she says wryly.

Stefan shoves his fists in his pockets as he stares at her slyly.

"I know, but it's considerate good manners if you say those magic words," he teases lightly.

Bonnie shakes her head feeling amused and exasperated.

"Come in, Stefan," she says with faux enthusiasm in her voice.

He pretends to consider her invitation for a brief moment before finally crossing over the threshold and stepping inside of her small and modest home. Closing the door behind him, he locks it securely before following Bonnie as she made her way through the house turning on light switches to illuminate the dark rooms. As she walks into the kitchen to grab herself a glass of water, Stefan continues his journey through the house making sure everything was in order and that there wasn't any unpleasant surprises or discoveries lurking around any corner.

Arriving in the living room, he stops as he comes across a small table filled with framed photographs. There were photo's of Bonnie with her grams, her dad, Elena, Enzo and Matt. The photo that caught his eye was the one of Bonnie, Enzo and Damon. Lifting the picture from its perched, he observed it closely. Bonnie was standing in front of her three tier birthday cake with a fuzzy pink tiara on her head. On her left side, Enzo was smirking at the camera with his arm wrapped around her waist, and on her right side, Damon stood with his arm draped around Bonnie's shoulder. Instead of Bonnie and Damon looking at the camera, they were gazing at each other with smiles on their faces. Most people who saw the photo knew that Damon and Bonnie were best friends and found nothing strange about their interaction, but Stefan saw something that drew his curiosity. The look on Damon's face was a look that he only reserved for women he wanted to fuck. Replacing the picture back on the table, he begins to think about the confrontation that had taken place between Bonnie and Damon back at the Boarding House. The fact that they were bickering wasn't that big of a surprise. It was a natural part of their relationship. What had been startling was the tension between them. Beneath the anger and hostility, he had sensed there was something brewing between them and he was determined to get to the bottom of what that something was.

Before he could think any further on the matter, Bonnie entered the room.

"Make yourself at home. I'm going to shower and hopefully feel less gross than I do now," she informs flashing him a weary smile before disappearing up the flights of stairs leading to her bedroom.

Walking into the kitchen, Stefan makes his way into the pantry and finds two bottles of red wine on the top shelf. He makes a face as he reads the labels. He wasn't exactly a sommelier, but if he had to guess, the bottle of wine in his hand was probably purchased from the discount aisle of the local grocery store and didn't cost more than fifteen dollars. He knew it was probably a bit snobbish of him to judge Bonnie's taste in wine, but when you live as long as he did and had experienced the finer things in life, it was hard to settle for anything less than what he was use to and Stefan was use to fine wine. He made a mental note to introduce Bonnie to a more expensive wine in the future. Grabbing two gasses from the cabinet, he free hand grabs the wine bottle and he heads into the living room. Twisting the caps off the bottle, he pours the crimson red liquid into the glasses before settling back down into the couch.

Twenty minutes later, Bonnie reappeared with her hair heavy and damp hanging limp around her shoulders. She was wearing Christmas styled pajamas that Abby had gotten her for a gift a year earlier and a graphic t-shirt of her favorite band the Gorillas. Spotting the wine, Bonnie moans appreciatively as she flops down in the cushion next to him.

"I didn't know that you were a wine drinker," Stefan mused as he lifted the two glasses of wine from the table and handed one to her.

She accepts his offer and mumbles her gratitude before taking a small sip.

Stefan takes a swallow and made a face of disgust as he coughed loudly.

"What?" Bonnie asks innocently as she tries to mask her amusement.

"Di pocco prezzo," he groans weakly.

Bonnie nose scrunch in confusion. "Di poocoo prez-wha?"

Stefan bursts out laughing at her horrible attempt to speak Italian. He barely has time to duck his head as she launches a throw pillow in his direction. He looks up expecting to see a pissed off Bonnie, but instead he is pleasantly surprised to find her gigging uncontrollably. The sound is actually quite pleasant to his ears and he can't stop starring as her face lights up with gaiety.

"Di pocco prezzo," he repeats amused when their laughter manages to die down, "It means dirt cheap."

"How do you say pretentious in Italian?" she inquires cheekily.

"Presuntuoso," he responds saucily rolling the word across his tongue dramatically.

Bonnie smiles as she stares down into her wine.

"My grams use to drink this brand of wine when I was a kid. When I find myself missing her, I have a glass and it makes me feel closer to her," she confesses with a bittersweet smile on her face.

Stefan eyes widened slightly.

"I'm sorry," he says flustered. "I wouldn't have opened it if I knew-"

Bonnie smiles reassuringly. "It's fine, Stefan. After the day that I had, a glass of wine is very much needed."

Not wanting to be rude, Stefan swallowed the contents of his glass before placing the glass back on the side table next to the couch. Bonnie rolled her eyes amused. "You didn't have to do that." He turned and smiled at her with a warm look in his forest green eyes. "Well Sheila Bennett is worth drinking to."

A comfortable silence fell over them and Bonnie turns her attention to pouring herself another glass of wine.

"May I ask you a question?" Stefan asks curiously.

Bonnie shrugs casually as she tucked her feet under her butt buttocks as she makes herself more comfortable on the couch. Stefan observes her quietly as he contemplates the right way to present his inquiry. He knows that what he wants to ask her is personal and after the day she already had, he didn't want to risk pissing her off. However there was something that was nagging at him and she was the only who could clear things up for him.

"When we were back at the Boarding House, there was a weird moment between you and my brother," he observes, "What was that about?"

Bonnie sighs softly as she combs her fingers through her wet locks. "Damon was just showing his ass because I am mad at him for killing Tiffany. He thinks that he can just bat his eyelashes and give a half hearted apology that I'm just going to forgive him and move forward like nothing happens. What you saw back at the Boarding House was Damon being bitchy because I refused to fall in line. He can be so infuriating sometimes."

Stefan fights back a low chuckle as Bonnie groans embarrassed. She hadn't meant for her protest to come out sounding so indignant and childish.

"Listen, Stefan. If you don't mind, I really don't want to talk about Damon right now," she mutters before taking a healthy gulp of her wine.

Stefan is preparing to drop it when he notices a strange look flash across her face. It was brief and gone seconds later, but he noticed it. Bonnie was clearly hiding something from him.

"You want to know what I think?" Stefan asks softly, "I think that little brush up between you and my brother is the result of the feelings that you have for one another."

Bonnie licks droplets of the wine off her bottom lip as she stares at Stefan owlishly.

"I think that wine may be laced with some kind of vervain, because you are seriously talking crazy right now," she teases lightly.

When Stefan fails to smile, Bonnie realizes that he is not joking. Suddenly she is uneasy with the direction that their conversation is going.

"Are you serious?" she manages to asks when she finds her voice again. She leans forward and places her wine glass on the coffee table. "What makes you think that I have feelings for Damon?"

Stefan shrugs innocently. "I see the way he looked at you back at the Boarding House. It got me to thinking about your unique friendship and I the more that I think about it, the more it makes sense. I have known Damon my entire life and for the most part, he has been nothing more than a selfish son of a bitch. When it comes to you, he is selfless. Most of the time, Damon will burn bridges and not give a damn about the destruction he leaves in his wake. You hold him accountable, and he respects you. You made many sacrifices to protect him which means you respect him too. I think that somewhere beneath all the respect, the friendship, the loyalty...perhaps their is feelings attached to all the sexual tension?"

Bonnie stared at him before loud giggles begin to spill from her lips. Seconds later those giggles evolved into uncontrollable cackles. Stefan watched with a straight face as Bonnie struggled to catch her breath as she wiped an faux tear from her eyes. He was surprised that she found the thought of Damon having feelings for her hilarious, but then again, Damon's head was stuck so far up Elena's unconscious ass that anyone would be pretty unbelievable to think that his brother may have affections for anyone else who posed female reproductive parts and a pretty face. When her laughter finally died down and she sobered up, she stared at him with a look of disbelief in her moss green eyes. "Damon may have feelings for Bourbon, co-eds with O positive blood, and the person he sees whenever he stared into a mirror, but he does not have feelings for me." She finished her statement by greedily polishing off the rest of the wine lingering in her wine glass.

"Let's just say for hypothetical reasons that he did have feelings for you. Would that change anything?" he inquires curiously.

"No," Bonnie says instantly, "It wouldn't change a single thing because I love Enzo. He is loyal, honest and devoted. He is the one man in my life who has never betrayed me. I would never betray him."

Stefan chuckles bitterly as he shakes his head in disappointment. "No matter how devoted you think someone may be, no matter how much they claim to love you, everyone is capable of betrayal."

"Weak and disloyal people are capable of betrayal. I'm neither weak or disloyal," she says confidently. "I'm not flighty. I'm not," she trails off abruptly.

Stefan propped his elbow on the back of the couch before resting his cheek against his fist. " "I get it," he said quietly. "You are not Elena."

Bonnie sighs in relief as Stefan decides to drop the subject.

"You look tense," he notices, his forest green eyes darkening noticeably. As he moves closer to her, Bonnie feels her heart flip flop in her chest. The vampire sitting next to her was practically smoldering sensuality and while Bonnie took pride in being a faithful woman, she was still a woman made of flesh and bone who was affected by the attractiveness of a man who was built like a Greek statue and had a face that had the abilities to melt panties.

"Yeah, it's been a long day," she concedes awkwardly as she reaches up and massages the back of her neck.

Not bothering to say another word, he makes his way behind the couch before standing directly behind her. When she feels his hands rest on her shoulders, she nearly jumps out of her skin. Looking over her shoulder, she stares up at him confused.

"What are you doing?" she demands nervously .

"I'm just trying to help you relax, Bonnie. There won't be any funny business," he assures the anxious witch before flashing her his most innocent smile. "I promise."

Bonnie stared at him warily before relenting. Turning her body away from him, she swallowed deeply as she felt the cool pads of his fingertips rest against the warm skin covering the nape of her neck. After applying slight pressure, he began to rotate his fingers in small circles drawing a soft moan from her lips. Enzo had given her plenty of massages throughout their relationship, but his hands had always been eager and his fingers always had ulterior motives that almost always led to them being intimate. Stefan's massage was different. It was like he knew exactly what parts of her body was filled with discomfort and his fingers were attacking the muscles that was bringing much needed relief to these problematic area. There was nothing sexual or seductive about the massage. It was purely technical and comforting.

"How does that feel?" Stefan probes, his voice soft yet intoxicating.

"That feels really amazing," Bonnie sighs as she leans deeper into his touched and closes her eyes. As he kneaded the tight muscles in her neck with his fingers, Bonnie felt the tension from the day melting away. For the first time since she had discovered Kai was alive, she felt calm, relax and stable. She wasn't thinking about her fight with Damon and she wasn't worried about the fact that she was going to have to help guide Tiffany through her transition. All she was focused on was that she was no longer a ball of coiled tension and she was finally able to breathe without having to worry about the next unfortunate event that was going to occur to make her already chaotic life even more complicated.

Slowly his hands drifted from her shoulders and down her back before finding a final resting place at her waist line.

"Would you like for me to continue?" he inquires as he presses his lips against the shell of her ear.

Bonnie can't help the shiver that dances down her spine.

She knew that if she allowed him to continue, they would be venturing into very dangerous territory. Stefan's intentions was innocents, but the way certain parts of her body was starting to react was giving her cause for concern.

I know you have feelings for them. You can lie to yourself, but you could never lie to me.

As Stefan began to increase his palpitations to her lower back, Elena's warning from her vision began to echo in the darkest corner of her mind. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open and the tension that Stefan had delicately extinguished through his rubdown returned. She had all but forgotten about the horrible vision that had robbed her of her sleep the previous night, but after Stefan questioned her about her feelings for Damon, and now that he was touching her and making her feel things that she shouldn't, Elena's haunting accusation was now hitting her full force.

"Where did you go just now?" Stefan whispers as he stopped the massage and stares down at her inquisitively, "What's on your mind?"

Bonnie rose from the couch and turned to face him apprehensively. "Trust me. You don't want to know."

"Whatever it is that is bothering you, you can tell me," Stefan said earnestly.

Bonnie lowers her eyes as she feels goosebumps pebble across her skin. As much as she wanted to keep her vision to herself, she knew that Stefan would continue to badger her until she came clean and Bonnie was too exhausted to play coy. Squaring her shoulders, she lifts her head and stares him straight in the eyes.

"After my run in with Cade last night, I came straight home and went to bed," she starts quietly, "I had this really weird dream that I originally thought was a nightmare, but I came to the conclusion that it was a vision." She pauses briefly before swallowing the lump in her throat. "The things I saw really terrified me."

Stefan saw the fear and apprehension on her face and realizes that whatever she saw was pretty serious. He cups her face inside of his large hands and moves closer to her.

"May I?" he inquires gently as he searches her face inquisitively.

Bonnie inhales sharply and closes her eyes causing tears to wet her thick long eyelashes. She knows that he is asking for her permission to enter her mind, and while she was hesitant to let him see the graphic and heinous images that the vision had burned into her brain, she wasn't exactly keen on the idea of carrying this particular burden on her own. With a sigh of resignation, she bows her head and nods her consent.

Stefan smiles warmly before shutting his eyes and gaining access to her clouded minds. He sees flashes of photographs of Elena, glimpses of Tyler, Anna and Pastor Young. His brow furrows noticeably as he witness the broken bodies of Alaric, Caroline and Matt lying on a floor slick with blood. When he stumbles across images of himself standing next to Elena and Damon with dead looks in their eyes, he feels his blood run cold. He watches as Elena commands them to force Bonnie on her knees before Elena spews a bunch of hateful crap while strangling Bonnie. The one consistent theme throughout the entire vision was that there was going to be a great awakening.

Stefan released her face from his hands and stares at her, his handsome face with shock, confusion and horror.

"Bonnie," he starts but she cuts him off abruptly.

"I know what you are going to say, Stefan," she sighs wearily, "I shouldn't have kept this to myself, but I had to. Between my run in with Cade and finding out that Kai is alive, I didn't have time to really process the vision."

"Well allow me to do it for you, Bonnie. People that you are close to are going to die and Elena is most likely going to be responsible for that," he informs coolly as he glowers down at her.

"I'm not going to let any of that happen. I will figure out a way to keep everyone alive and safe," she promises quietly as she lifts the empty wine glasses off the table and head into the kitchen.

"How exactly do you plan on doing that?" Stefan growls as he follows her and watches as she deposit the glasses into the sink. "Despite what you may believe, some things are actually out of your control."

"I can handle it," she insists turning away from the sink and starring at him with her green eyes filled with resolution.

Stefan walks over to her and stands in front of with a grave look on his handsome face.

He opens his mouth to protest, but Bonnie stops him by pressing her index finger against his lips. It was clear by the look on her face that she was determined not to debate the issue any further with him.

The caramel haired vampire's brow knitted together in frustration. In the past, he had admired Bonnie's savior complex and her ability to confront dangerous people and situations head on, but right now, he hated her for it. She was powerless and she was vulnerable, but she was too blinded by her need to keep Elena safe to see that she couldn't possibly handle this new threat alone. Elena was always going to be Bonnie's downfall. He knew that, the people who died because of Elena had known that, and on some deep level, Stefan suspected Damon knew it as well. Stefan feared that when the time came for Bonnie to realize that uncomfortable truth about her best friend, it would be too late. A small part of him considered telling Bonnie about Enzo situation with Sybil just to see if she would even pretend to consider turning the doppelganger over to secure Enzo's freedom, but the bigger part of him knew that Bonnie would never hand Elena over.

Lifting his hand, his fingers curled around her wrist slowly pulling her finger away from his lips. A look of embarrassment flash across her face as she smiled up at him sheepishly.

"Sorry," she mumbled. She moved to pull here hand out of his grip, but was surprised when he held it firmly.

"I saw every second of your vision, Bonnie," Stefan reveals quietly as he towers over her, " Elena warned you that your sacrifice and your loyalty meant nothing. As long as you cling to her, you will lose everything you care about and everyone you love."

"I can save her," Bonnie eyes glittered with steely determination.

"No you can't," Stefan snaps harshly, "If this dream of yours is truly a vision, you need to remove Elena from the equation."

Bonnie shoves him away with a look of vexation on her pretty face. "If Elena was here, she wouldn't ask me to give up on you. Don't you dare ask me to give up on her."

The pair stood in a heavy silence as they let the weight of Bonnie's plea linger in the air. Stefan knew that no matter how many times he attempted to convince her that Elena was undoing, Bonnie wasn't going to cut ties with her and while he was annoyed by her insistence to protect the doppelganger, he had to admit that he kinda respected her sense of loyalty.

"Listen. I had a rough night and I'm tired and I need to get some sleep," she says wearily as she turns down the light switch before exiting the kitchen, "You don't have to stay and keep watch over me, but if you decide you have nothing else better to do, you can stay on the couch. Just know that my bedroom door will be locked."

Stefan watches grimly as Bonnie turns and walks towards the stairs. "You know that a lock wouldn't stop me from walking through your bedroom door. If I really wanted to get to you while you were sleeping, I could."

Bonnie could hear the underlining threat in his words, and while most sane people would have had the good sense to be afraid, Bonnie was unbothered.

Stopping at the bottom of the stair case leading up to thee second level of the house, she leans over the railing and flash the green eyed vampire a knowing smile. "You are right. We both know that you could, but I know that you won't."

Stefan studies her quietly as he tries to keep his train of thoughts from straying into the gutter.

Stefan stares at her before he sighs in defeat. He would like nothing more than to walk up to her room and while she was sleeping, kick her door in and wait for her to inevitably invite him into her bed so he could fuck her brains out, but he knew that scenario would only play out in his fantasies instead of reality. His lust for the Bennett witch may have reached an all time high, but he respected her too much to go there with her. He didn't see the appeal in forcing his way on to her. If he was to ever cross that line, he wanted them to cross that line together where both parties were consenting and willing. He licks his lips briefly as he shoves his fist in his pockets. "You are right. I won't."

"Goodnight, Stefan."

Tossing him one last glance, she grabbed the railing before disappearing up the stairs.

Stefan watches as she disappears up the stairs before heading back into the living room. Flopping down on the couch, he folds his hands behind his head and exhales deeply. As he stares up at the ceiling, he crossed one ankle over the other before getting lost in his thoughts. The entire conversation that he had with Bonnie played in his mind and he realized that despite all of her bravado and her firm belief that she could save everyone, he could sense her fear and knew that she felt helpless. He knew that it was only a matter of time before her desperation to protect everyone would lead her to making a dangerous sacrifice that would either put her life in jeopardy or end it all together. A small part of him was telling him to let it go and leave. Walk out the house and let Bonnie Bennett deal with everything on her own. He didn't understand why he actually cared and felt the need to get involved in the first place.

 _You want to prove that you are worth saving_ , a nagging voice whispered in the back of his head. Stefan tried to block out the thoughts, but he couldn't deny it was a lie. Damon had given up on him, Elena had given up on him and now Caroline had followed in their path and decided to walk away from him. Bonnie was the only one who was determined to fight for him and while a small part of him wanted to abandon her and let her fend for herself, a bigger part of him wanted to save her just as much as she wanted to save him.

Staring down at Bonnie's keys lying on the coffee table, his gaze locked on the unique third key. He knew the first key belonged to the Prius and the second was to her house. Using the process of elimination, he determines that third key belonged to the container at the warehouse where Damon and Bonnie were secretly keeping Elena's coffin hidden from the world. The righteous side of Stefan wanted to make himself comfortable on the couch and keep watch over the sleeping witch, but his dark side was encouraging him to take the key to the warehouse and head to New York. Rising from the couch, he grabbed his jacket off of the coat rack and quietly come to terms with his decision. While Damon didn't have the balls to do what it took to secure Enzo's release, Stefan didn't have a crisis of conscience when it came to deciding whether or not he could meet the little siren's demands. Ignoring the nagging voice in the back of his head warning him of the consequences of his actions, he slipped the key to the container off of Bonnie's key ring before quietly easing out the front door and climbing into his car. Reaching into his pocket, he dug out his phone before scrolling through his contacts. Once he found the number he was looking for, he hit the green phone icon before placing the phone to his ear.

"Hey, Sybil it's Stefan," he barks into the phone as the engine to his Porshe roars to life. "We need to talk."

 **End Note: Cade is the puppet master and quite the manipulator, isn't he? Kai is planting seeds about Bonnie's true feelings for a certain vampire intentionally fanning the flames of Enzo's deep rooted insecurities, and Stefan decides to sell out Elena for Bonnie's benefit?**


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Sorry for the delay and the grammatical errors. I rewrote this chapter several times and this is revision that I liked the best. Enjoy.**

"...and the princess and the prince lived happily ever after. The End," Caroline cooed softly as she shut the children's book and placed it faced down on the nightstand.

As she rose from the edge of the small bed, she stared down at Josie and Lizzie and felt a small smile creep across her lips. An hour earlier, she had showered and had been preparing to put her daughters to bed, but they had insisted on her reading them a bed time story. The twins had been energetic and awake when Caroline had first cracked open the book, but now they were sound asleep. Adjusting their blankets so that they were more comfortable, the blonde vampire begin to think back on the day that had been filled with tears, protests and anger. Relocating her little family from Mystic Falls to the small neighborhood outside of Richmond hadn't been easy. Not only had Caroline been forced to tolerate Damon's snark and severely annoying personality, but she had to deal with her twins who hadn't been in the best mood. Josie had cried the entire ride to the safe house and Lizzie had given Caroline nothing but attitude. Alaric had tried his best to reassure the twins that the move was temporary and for their benefit, but they had been too emotional to understand and neither Alaric or Caroline had the heart to tell them the truth.

How do you explain to two young girls that they had to temporarily move out of their childhood home because they were danger? How do you tell them that the uncle that was responsible for slaughtering their entire coven, including their mother, had somehow managed to come back from the dead so that he could finish what he had started? Not only would the truth terrify them, it would traumatize them for life, and neither parent wanted to put their kids through that. Instead of telling them the truth, Caroline had sat both girls down and reassured them that she and their father loved them more than anything in the world and no matter what happened, they would always be together.

As she placed a gentle kiss on their foreheads, she felt the tremendous love that she had for the twins mingle in with her deep rooted guilt. She hated that she had to disrupt her children's life and move them to a place that was completely foreign to them, but deep down, she knew it was for the best. Taking one last look at her sleeping daughters, Caroline walked out of the room and secured the door closed behind her.

Making her way downstairs, she walked into the kitchen and found Alaric sitting at the kitchen table in front of his laptop with a concentrated look on his ruggedly handsome face. She knew that he wanted nothing more than to be upstairs cuddling with his daughters while they rested. Unfortunately, he was focused on learning how Kai had managed to escape from hell and he wasn't prepared to rest until he found the answers he was searching for. Peeking over his shoulder, she noticed that he was currently starring at the security footage that he had pulled up at the Armory. From the looks of it, he was examining the heretics point of entry closely as he searched for some clue that would give him insight into Kai's unfortunate resurrection. Alaric had revealed to her that if he could find a way to return Kai back to his eternal home in the seventh circle of hell where here belonged, Kai would be unable to hurt his precious daughters, but so far he wasn't having any luck finding anything that would help him.

"Damn it," he exploded angrily.

His sudden outburst caused Caroline to gasped startled before slowly backing away from him. He opened his mouth to apologize to her, but she smiled and shook her head silently telling him that she was fine and she understood his frustration. Exhaling sharply, he grabbed his beer and took a generous swig of his beer. Kai's return was bringing up some difficult emotions that he had tried locking away years ago. Licking the foam off the top of his lip, he sighed as his mind drifted back to the couple of months he had spent getting wasted in Amsterdam after Jo's death. It had been some of the most painful and excruciating weeks of his life. While he had been drowning his grief at the bottom of every bottle he came across, Damon had been right beside him stopping him when he had been dangerously close to getting alcohol poisoning. The corners of his lips curled up in slight amusement as he recalled how Damon had attempted to make him feel better by describing in great detail how he had ended the murderous Gemini's life. The Bourbon loving vampire had thought that reminding Ric of Kai's brutal death would somehow help ease some of the pain he had felt while mourning, but the truth was that it only made Ric envious that he hadn't been able to kill Kai himself.

"You have been looking at that screen ever since we got here. When are you going to take a break and get some rest?"

Alaric lifted his eyes and took a moment to observe the concern vampire who had her arms folded across her chest. Her blonde hair was wet and fell around her shoulder and she was wearing a fluffy pink robe indicating that she had just taken a shower. He smiled fondly as he caught the scent of lavender and honey radiating from her skin as she walked past him and pulled a blood bag out of the icebox. He missed the feeling of being domesticated. Even though he tried to keep his heart shut to the neurotic blonde vampire, there were times were he couldn't help but wish that she had followed through with their engagement. Even though he was still in love with Jo, he knew that in time, Caroline could have found a place in his heart and would have made a great wife to him and a loving and constant mother to their daughters. Not liking the directions his thoughts was turning, he cleared his throat and sat up straight.

"You don't have to worry about me, Caroline," Alaric reminded dryly. "Need I remind you that I am a grown man and I will crash and burn in my bed when I see fit."

Caroline scrunched her face in an effort to keep from rolling her eyes. Alaric had the bad habit of being cranky and petulant when he was faced with finding impossible answers to questions that he couldn't seem to shake. When he had told her about his plan to discover how Kai managed to free himself, she had thought that his line of inquiry was pointless. She simply assumed that whatever loophole that the psychopath used to wiggle his way back into their lives was something that was a one in a million fluke and trying to figure it out was nothing but a major waste of time.

"Sitting down here all night trying to figure out how Kai resurrected himself is not going to get us anywhere. Our beautiful daughters are upstairs sleeping peacefully in their bed and their father, my friend, is sitting down here worrying himself to death over something that is out of our hands. Excuse me if I'm just trying to make sure that you are okay," she huffed frustrated.

"People just don't come back from the dead without some reasonable explanation, Caroline. If I can find out how Kai made it possible to be back in the land of the living, the sooner I can send him back to where he was," Alaric explained wearily.

The blonde sighed softly as she squeezed his shoulders tenderly before continuing her trek across the kitchen. There was no point in arguing with a man who was as stubborn as a mule. She was emotionally drained and she simply didn't have the energy. Reaching inside of the refrigerator, she retrieved the milk and cream before setting it firmly on the counter. After searching through several cupboards, she retrieved a small bag of sugar and she felt her mouth water at the promise of her favorite hot beverage.

"I take it from the fact that you are sitting in here all by your lonesome that Damon is gone," she said changing the subject as she lifted the coffee pot and poured the hot brew into her favorite mug. The raven haired vampire had been there when she had disappeared upstairs to put the girls to bed and she was puzzled to find that he was no longer in the house.

"He went back to Mystic Falls," the Occult professor mumbled as he queued the footage up to the point where Kai had made his appearance into the Armory. He bit back a growl and pinched the bridge of his nose as he failed to find anything out of the ordinary. Kai hadn't come through some hellish portal or anything suspicious. He had simply walked through the front door like any other ordinary person.

"Why didn't Damon just stay the night and head back to Mystic Falls in the morning?" she asked as she sat across from him at the table.

"With Kai on the loose, we didn't think it would be safe for Bonnie on her own for too long," he explained with a sigh as slumped deeper into his chair. It wasn't exactly a lie, but he knew that he couldn't actually tell Caroline the truth and reveal that Sybil was holding Enzo hostage and Damon was currently looking for a way to diffuse the situation. Not only did Damon swear him to secrecy, but Alaric knew that if Caroline was to find out that her friend's boyfriend was in danger, she would freak out and that's the last thing that he needed.

Caroline took a long and noisy sip of her coffee before narrowing her cornflower blue eyes at Alaric curiously.

"If he was really that concern for her safety, why didn't he just bring her here to the safe house?" she murmured licking sugar and cream off her silver spoon.

Alaric stared at her feeling exhausted and drained. Why does she have to be so damn inquisitive?

"I don't know, Caroline," he said impatiently, "If you don't mind, I'm trying to concentrate."

If Caroline detected the annoyance in his voice, she didn't let it bother her as she stared off in space with a pensive look on her pretty face. She couldn't help but feel a overwhelming sense of sympathy and sorrow as Bonnie's face crossed her mind. In the midst of all the chaos, Caroline never took a moment to stop and think about how Kai's return would affect her friend. Even though Kai had made it his mission to traumatize all their lives, Bonnie was constantly on the receiving end of his physical and mental torment. Knowing that her nemesis was alive was bound to negatively affect Bonnie and Caroline felt terrible that she couldn't be there to comfort her.

Glancing at the clock, she sighed softly as she realized that it was slowly approaching midnight and Bonnie was probably already sleep which meant that calling her was out of the question. She made a mental note to make contact with her the next day so she could learn how Bonnie was handling things and do whatever she could to help get her through this difficult time in her life.

"Listen, Caroline. I didn't mean to snap at you," Alaric apologized when he notice that the blonde vampire's mood had darkened, "I think this whole Kai situation got me on edge."

Caroline flashed him a tiny smile as she nodded. "It's okay. I understand, Ric. You are worried for our daughters and you have every right to be. Kai's return is affecting a lot of people and the sooner he is gone, the sooner we can all move forward with our lives. I understand why you are worrying yourself sick in finding a solution, but I need you to know that you don't have to do all of this on your own. You and I aren't just co parents," she reminded him softly, "We are partners, and we are friends. You don't have to shoulder this burden alone. It's just like I told our baby girls...we are in this together."

Alaric reached across the table and covered Caroline's free hand with his before returning her smile. Sometimes her sunny optimism and her upbeat attitude could annoy him, but right now it was much needed. He had the bad habit of trying to solve difficult issues on his own and every now in then he had to be reminded that he wasn't alone.

The tender moment was interrupted by the sound of Caroline's phone chirping loudly. Her face twisted in confusion as she wondered who could possibly be calling at such a late hour. Reaching into the pocket of her robe, she pulled out her phone and her confusion turned into concern as a picture of Bonnie's beaming face flashed across the screen.

"That's weird," she said as she withdrew her hand from Alaric, "I was just thinking about her."

Alaric arched an eyebrow curiously.

"It's Bonnie," she mouthed before answering the call. "Hey, Bon. What's up?"

There was a brief pause.

"What do you mean that you have been trying to call Enzo and he hasn't been answering? When was the last time you spoke to him?" she murmured sitting up straighter in her chair.

Alaric begin to massage the back of his neck anxiously. He had a feeling that things were about to go very bad very fast.

"Damon told you what?" Caroline exclaimed, her pretty features twisting in confusion, "Obviously the Bourbon is rotting his brain. The last time I saw Enzo was at the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant."

Swallowing deeply, Alaric from the chair and made his way over to the refrigerator before grabbing another beer.

"Calm down, sweetie," Caroline cooed soothingly, "I'll find out what's going on and I will call you back. Everything's going to be alright. I promise."

After hanging up with the frantic Bennett witch, Caroline placed the phone face down on the table before groaning deeply.

"What's going on?" he mumbled as he pretended to be oblivious to what her conversation with Bonnie had been about.

"Bonnie is freaking out," she frowned as she combed her fingers through her damp blonde hair frustrated. "Apparently she can't find Enzo and for some reason, Damon told her that he was helping us relocate to the safe house. Damon didn't say anything to you about this, did he?"

Alaric forced a smile and was fully prepared to lie, but for the briefest second a shadow of guilt flashed across his face. If he was sitting in front of any other person, the look on his face might have gone unnoticed, but Caroline wasn't just anyone. She had known him for years and she was very perceptive. He could tell by the way her eyes narrowed in suspicion that she was starting to catch on to his deception.

"Alaric," she growled, her voice low and suspicious, "What the hell is going on?"

"Caroline, I gave Damon my word that I would keep my mouth shut. I owe it to him to keep that promise. Especially since he help us relocate," Alaric protested desperately.

Before he could even blink, Caroline had used her vampire agility to move into his personal space. Her lips were set in a straight line and her blue eyes were flashing dangerously. "Ric, I need you to know that I don't give a rat's ass what you promised Damon," she smiled, her words sweet but toxic, "Bonnie is really upset and worried about Enzo. He's not just the man she loves, but I also consider him to be a friend of mine and if something bad has happened to him, you need to tell me right now."

"Caroline," he tried, but he stopped when she moved closer to him with a stubborn look marring her porcelain face.

"What happened to Enzo?" she insisted impatiently. "Is he in danger?"

When Ric refused to meet her gaze, Caroline felt a shiver dance down her spine and her breath caught in her throat as her hand flew up to her mouth.

"Oh my god," she whispered as she stared at him in horror, "Did something happened to him? Is he like dead, dead?"

If the situation wasn't so dire, Alaric would have burst out laughing at the cartoon expression on the blonde vampire's face. His amusement faded as he saw the fear and panic reflecting in her eyes. He knew that if he didn't tell her the truth, she would continue to assume the worst and the last thing he wanted was for Caroline to spend all night on the phone with Bonnie speculating on what may or may not have happened to Enzo.

"If I tell you what's going on, you have to promise me that you won't say anything to Bonnie," he said warningly.

"I'm not going to promise no such thing, Ric. You are going to tell me what's going on, or so help me god, I will shove that beer bottle in one of two very uncomfortable places," she threatened evenly.

Alaric bristled noticeably, but when she spotted the look of resignation in his eyes, Caroline knew that she had won this battle.

"Earlier today, Dorian and I were working at the Armory when Enzo stopped by. He was worried about Bonnie being left unprotected so I let him borrow a magical pendant that would keep her safe," the Occult professor revealed, "Unfortunately, Sybil ambushed us and threatened to eat me if Enzo didn't come with her willingly."

"What the hell does she want with him?" Caroline exclaimed confused, "I thought that she was fixated on Damon."

Alaric shook his head as he made his way around the table and stood next to the seething vampire.

"She said she wanted to exchange Enzo for Elena, so I think it's just another way for her to manipulate Damon. She also said something that makes me think that she has another hidden motive," he expressed troubled.

Caroline folded her arms across her chest and stared at him intently.

"Don't leave me hanging. What exactly did that supernatural skank say?" she exclaimed. Alaric snorted not surprised by Caroline's pettiness. "She accused Enzo of not being too disgusted by her when he crawled into her bed," he said sounding revulsed.

Caroline made a gagging noise as she shut her eyes briefly.

"Okay. I totally did not need that disgusting image in my head," she grumbled feeling disgusted as she toyed with her mug of lukewarm coffee in her hands. "I can't believe Enzo cheated on Bonnie."

As she paced back in forth across the kitchen floor, her mind begin to race frantically. It was bad enough that the crazy siren was using Enzo as a pawn in some sick and intricate plan to get her claws into Damon, but to know that Enzo and Sybil had done the nasty was relatively worse. Bonnie had a bad history when it came to men and betrayal. Her father hadn't been there for the times where she had needed him the most, Jeremy had cheated on her with a ghost, Damon had desiccated for three years leaving her alone and now Enzo had apparently stuck is undead fountain pen inside of Sybil's supernatural inkwell. Between Kai's unfortunate return and this new information about Enzo's infidelity, Bonnie was going to be completely devastated and Caroline couldn't help but feel frustrated that their wasn't anything she could do to protect her friend from the impending fallout.

Actually, there is one thing you can do, a tiny little voice in the back of her head sang softly, You can actually do what her best friend Damon failed to do and tell her the truth.

Walking back to the table, she made a move to grab her phone when Alaric intercepted it and held it out of her reach.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" she screeched.

"You were about to call Bonnie," he said accusingly, "You can't do that."

Caroline folded her arms across her chest and pouted unhappily.

"I understand that Damon is your friend and you feel like your loyalty is to him, but Bonnie is my friend," she whined, "The love of her life is being held by that psycho siren and she is back in Mystic Falls with no idea of what's going on. You can't stand there and tell me that you honestly think that keeping this secret is fair to her."

Alaric slammed his fist on the kitchen counter in frustration causing Caroline mouth to snap shut.

"Of course I don't think keeping this secret is fair to Bonnie," he growled, his eyes flashing with anger, "Damon didn't make this decision lightly and despite what you think, he's not doing any of this to hurt her. He is keeping this secret to protect her. If Bonnie finds out that Sybil has taken Enzo hostage, you and I both know that she isn't going to sit around and wait for Damon to come up with a plan to get him back," he argued frustrated, "She is going to do whatever it takes to get him back and that includes rushing into a dangerous situation blindly without any back up and no means to protect herself."

The blonde vampire opened her mouth to protest, but stopped abruptly when she realized that Ric had a point. When Bonnie had her magic, people didn't worry too much about the fact that she boldly walked into the line of fire because she was more than capable of taking care of herself. Now that she was without her magic and powerless, she knew that Bonnie taking on Sybil alone wouldn't just be bad, it would be a blood bath and while she had mourned the death of her friend several times in the past, Caroline wasn't in the mood nor did she have the patience to have to mourn her anytime soon. Still, it didn't sit right with her to keep her in the dark. Especially given the fact that Sybil was dangerous and has tortured and manipulated Enzo in the past.

"Damon promised me that he would find away to make things right that doesn't involve giving Elena up or leaving Enzo hanging out to dry. We have to trust him and give him time to fix this," Alaric coaxed gently.

Caroline stared at him feeling frustrated.

"If someone took our daughters and held them hostage and Bonnie knew about it and didn't tell us, would you ever forgive her?" she asked pointedly.

Alaric's face twisted in confusion. "Of course not, but you can't stand there and compare some hypothetical situation to what's going on right now."

"Why not?" she challenged quietly, "Bonnie loves Enzo as much as we love Josie and Lizzie. If something was to ever happen to our baby girls, and Bonnie knew that they were in danger and didn't tell us, we would never forgive her so how do you expect her to forgive us if we keep this a secret and something happens to Enzo?"

Alaric sighed tiresomely as he realized that Caroline was right. No matter how they tried to justify it, Bonnie didn't deserve to be left in the dark.

"You do know if you tell her, Damon is going to be furious," Alaric pointed out as he handed Caroline her phone back.

The blonde shrugged indifferently. "We will deal with him later. Right now, I'm going to do the right thing and let my friend know the truth."

Before Alaric could try to change her mind, Caroline turned on the balls of her heels and stalked out of the kitchen.

 **88888**

"Bonnie! Bonnie! Are you there?"

The woman in question stared down at her phone that was currently lying on the carpeted floor of her bedroom with a look of utter belief and anger etched deeply in her face. When she had gone to bed earlier that night, she had been hoping to get some much needed sleep, but something in her gut had prevented her from reaching the peak of her REM wasn't until she had rolled over and stared at the empty space next to her that she realized that her restlessness was coming from the fact that Enzo was not lying next to her and her intuition had warned her that something was though Damon had told h er that Enzo, Caroline, and Alaric had committed to complete radio silence while relocating to the safehouse, Bonnie had felt compelled to reach out to the blonde vampire in hopes of being reassured that Enzo was safe and sound. When Caroline had answered the phone revealing she had no idea where or what Enzo was up to, Bonnie had felt her heart plummet inside the pit of her stomach.

After desperately pleading for her friend to find out whatever information she could involving Enzo, Caroline had returned her call and had revealed two things that had left Bonnie deeply disturbed. The first being that Enzo was being held captive by Sybil and the second was the fact that Damon had lied straight to her face. She couldn't believe that Damon would be so cruel. She knew that he was pissed at her because of the fight that they had earlier, but that was no excuse for him to keep her in the dark when it came down to Enzo's well being.

"Bonnie, I'm so sorry. Tell me what I can do," Caroline's voice cackled from the other end of the phone.

Bonnie ignored Caroline as she struggled to process everything. Lowering herself down on the edge of her bed and buried her face inside of her hands struggling not to scream in rage. She had spent so much time fighting and clawing to get Enzo out of Sybil's possession, and now they were back to where they had started. Sybil with her claws deep her man, and Bonnie with no way to find him and bring him back to her. For a moment, Bonnie allowed herself to wallow in self pity. Was she curse? Had she done something horrific in another life that was making her suffer in this one? What possible reason could the universe have to continue to allow her to suffer when all she ever wanted was to do good and protect those who weren't capable of protecting themselves. She was a good person. Honorable, noble, selfless, yet here she was terrified that she was about to lose the man she love. To make matters worse, she had to face the act that that she had been double crossed by her best friend.

"Bonnie Bennett. You got three seconds to answer me, or I will-" Caroline never got a chance to finish her sentence. Bonnie rose from the bed and picked up the phone and hung up on her abruptly. She knew that Caroline didn't deserve the silent treatment, nor did she deserve being dismissed so coldly, but Bonnie didn't have the time or the head space to worry about the blonde's feelings. She was too busy feeling furious with Ric and Damon for keeping Enzo's precarious situation a secret from her. They were treating her like a child who didn't have the strength it took to handle bad news. They were treating her like she was fragile and weak. They were treating her like she was Elena and not only was that hurtful and insulting, it was absolutely unacceptable and she had every intention of making them pay for their deception when this was all over.

Struggling to keep her emotions in check, she dialed Damon's number, which she knew by heart, and waited with bated breath for the other line to pick up. When Damon's voicemail kicked on, Bonnie felt her anger intensify exponentially.

"You listen to me, you son of a bitch," she hissed, her voice soft and lethal, "I don't know where the hell you are, but I just found out that Enzo has been taken captive by Sybil and you knew about. You knew and you lied straight through your duplicitous teeth. I don't know why I ever though that you could change. You are nothing more than a lying, selfish, manipulative bastard who always put his needs before anyone else. I get that you would never turn Elena over in an exchange for Enzo, but that didn't mean that I didn't deserve to know that he had been taken! If you would have just grew a pair and told me, we could have find another way to save him. Instead, you took the cowards way out and kept it from me and now because of you he may be... ." She took a breath to calm herself. She had been angry at Damon before and many times in the past, but this anger was something entirely different. This was a deep and intense kind of uncontrollable anger. This was rage. " You better hope and pray that nothing happens to him, because if it does, I will never forgive you."

Ending the call, she dropped the phone and calmly smashed it into several pieces beneath her heel with one well placed stomp of her right foot. The second she destroyed her phone, she knew it was a mistake, but she needed an outlet for her aggravation. As she began to pace back and forth frantically, her mind raced as she tried to figure out how she could find Enzo and save him on her own. She knew that planning a one woman mission to get him back wasn't the smartest option considering the fact that she was powerless and didn't own a single weapon to defend herself. However, she refused to sit back and do nothing hoping that when the chips fell, they would land in Enzo's favor. She wanted to be proactive and that meant if she had to go the Boarding House and grab Damon and force him to help her turn Mystic Falls upside down, then that is what she was going to do.

Reaching into the closet, she grabbed a light jacket before sliding her feet into her sneakers. Walking past the nightstand, she scooped up the keys to her house and car and headed downstairs.

As she made her way into towards the front door, she stopped when something strange caught her eye. Turning around, she was puzzled to find that the light from the living room was still on. When she had came downstairs to lock up the house after Stefan's mysterious departure, she was certain that she had turned the lamp off. The fact that it was now buzzing brighter than ever could only mean one thing. She had an unexpected visitor.

Making her way down the hall, she maneuvered her house key between her index and middle knuckle just in case she needed to use it as a weapon to defend herself from the late night intruder that had decided to pay her a visit.

"There's no need for violence, Ms. Bennett," a soft and kind voice greeted her as she walked into her living room, "I come in peace."

"Oh god!" Bonnie felt her heart leap in her throat as she whirled around to find Cade sitting in the huge red burgundy arm chair that had once been her gram's favorite piece of furniture. Just like the last time she had saw him, he was dressed in a ridiculously expensive black suit sporting a tolerant smile on his full lips and starring at her with dead eyes that resembled the eyes of a great white shark. In his hands was a small chipped tea cup that had been in her china cabinet and he was stirring the contents inside the cup with a tiny silver spoon. To an outside on looker, he would appear congenial and harmless, but Bonnie knew better. While Cade has yet to show an violent tendencies towards her, she wasn't fooled by his deceitfully calm demeanor. Any supernatural being that could manage to enslave a notoriously violent Ripper was not someone that you let your guard down for.

"You are calling on the wrong deity, Miss Bennett," Cade informed amused, "Fortunately for you, I'm more inclined to help you than He is."

 _Debatable_ , Bonnie thought annoyed, but forced a smile before staring him straight in the eyes.

"Of all the gin joints, in all the towns in all the world, the devil walks into mine," she drawled sardonically as she folded her arms across her chest and glared at the immoral smirking up at her.

"You are quite young to be a fan of Casablanca," Cade mused impressed.

Bonnie shrugged casually as she walked deeper into the living room and stood directly in front of him.

"My grandmother use to make me watch it when I was younger. Not to change the subject but what are you doing here?" she groused as she combed her fingers through her unruly chocolate locks, "It's the middle of the night."

"I'm sorry for the late night intrusion, but I had this feeling that you were in need of some assistance, and like I told you when we first me, I am here for you if and when you need me," he said simply.

Bonnies stared at him narrowing her olive green eyes suspiciously. The only reason why Cade would assume that she needed any kind of help was if he already knew about Enzo's grave circumstances. Tossing her car keys down on the coffee table, she let out a bark of bitter laughter as she turned her back on Cade and shook her head wearily. Of course he knew about Enzo. Not only was he psychic, he probably orchestrated the whole thing in order to get her to participate in some twisted and demented game he was playing. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she exhaled deeply wondering what would result from having a conversation with the devil. Would he actually help her get Enzo back? Would he manipulate her in a way that she wouldn't see coming or was she doomed altogether?

"You are not doomed, Bonnie Bennett," he promised as he answered the last question that had crossed her mind, "I'm simply here he to help get back what you lost."

"Lost?" she snapped whirling around and facing him once more, "I didn't lose Enzo. He was taken from me by the deranged disciple that you can't seem to keep under your control. Or maybe she is under your control and is simply carrying out your orders."

Cade stared at her surprised. For Bonnie to suspect that he was behind Enzo's kidnapping made him realized that she was a lot intuitive and smarter than he had given her credit for.

"What exactly would I have to benefit from harming someone you care about?" he asked feigning innocence.

Bonnie glowered at him apprehensively.

"I don't know. Maybe the universe decided to enlist your help in screwing up my life. Maybe this is just some sick way to show me that every single time I get close to achieving the tiniest bit of happiness, it will always be ripped away, "she ranted frustrated. She felt a burning in her nose and she knew that she was dangerously close to crying.

"While you were busy blaming me and the universe for conspiring against you, did you ever stop to think that all of your woes stem from being in a relationship with a vampire?" he said with a mixture of boredom and sympathy in his soft voice, "Had you chosen to settle down with a nice and normal boy hundreds of miles away from this cursed town, you wouldn't be facing all of the troubles and wretchedness that are currently burdening you. As much as it pains me to say this, your lying in a bed of your own creation and now you have to accept the mess that you have made."

"If you are as powerful of as a psychic that you claim you are, you would know that I didn't set out to fall in love with a vampire," she snapped defensively, "In fact, being romantically involved with a vampire was the last thing that I ever wanted or expected. Enzo came into my life when I was alone and had no one to call a friend. He showed me kindness and love and I think that after all the crap that I have had to deal with in my life and all the people that I loved, I am allowed to have love in my life, and the fact that he is a vampire shouldn't be of any consequences."

"You feel very passionately about Lorenzo. I admire such devotion and loyalty," Care murmured as he leaned forward and placed the empty tea cup on the coffee table before starring her straight in the eye. "What is it that you want me to do to aide you in securing his return?"

"Give me the power to save Enzo," she said without missing a beat. Licking her lips nervously, she decided to press her luck, "Restore my magic so that I can take care of Sybil once and for all."

Cade eyebrow arched inquisitively as he slowly rose from the chair and eased his hands into the pockets of his well fitted trousers. He begin to circle the room slowly with a pensive look on his face.

"I understand your need for justice. However, I am concerned that you are being blinded by anger and vengeance," he said warily.

"My anger is righteous and my vengeance will be justified," she assured tightly, "Sybil has been nothing but a plague in my life ever since she was released from that vault. She uses her abilities to hurt people. She is selfish, cruel and unkind. If you give me the power that I need, I will free Enzo and make pay for every wicked thing that she has done."

Cade felt the corners of his mouth twitch upwards as he heard the resounding determination and fury radiating from her words. Everything was going according to plan. Bonnie was so focused on getting Enzo back and punishing Sybil that she was ignoring her gut instinct to not trust him. That lack of judgement would come back to haunt her and cost her dearly in the long run, but by the time that she realized her foolish mistake, it would be too late. He would have everything that he had ever wanted and there would be nothing that she could do to stop him.

Keeping a neutral expression on his face, he glanced down at the ring that adorned his middle finger. The ring that had once suppressed his sister's ultimate and god like powers, were now about to restore Bonnie Bennett's natural born gifts. Quietly appreciating the symmetry of the rings and it's mystical abilities, he twisted the piece of jewelry off of his fingers before placing in the middle of his palm and holding it out towards Bonnie.

"If you are going to save your lover, you are going to need this," he said softly.

Bonnie peered down at the ring with a look of distrust on her face.

"If I take that ring, I'm not going to become the devil's bride or something, am I?" she asked softly as she bit down on her bottom lip nervously.

Cade's right eye twitched noticeably, but the patient smile that was on his smile never wavered. He was both amused and annoyed at how creative and dramatic human being's imaginations tended to be. As he tilted his head to the side and studied her silently, he couldn't really blame the young woman for her child like ignorance. The only thing that humans knew about the "devil" was the tired old tripe that they read in outdated religious books and ancient folklore. Yeah, the part about being evil, commanding a legion of demons and being immortal was all true, but the speculation that he bathed in the blood of virgins or would manipulate a young and desperate woman to become his bride was ridiculous and complete and utter poppycock.

"I give you my word, what I am asking of you is not that twisted or perverse," he reassured with a smirk as he lifted a picture frame off the mantle above the fireplace and stared down at it with mild interest. It was a picture of a young Bonnie Bennett sitting in the lap of her grandmother while they both smiled happily at the camera. "I will restore your magic, your birthright. All I asks is that if and when I need a favor, you will show me the same generosity that I am prepared to show you."

The offer was so tempting that Bonnie was almost ready to take it with no questions asked. However, the logical and rational part of her was encouraging to pump her breaks. Making a deal with the devil was not only a severely bad idea, but doing so would bring about consequences that would more than likely affect everyone around her and she wasn't sure that she could risk it. Surely, there had to be another way to save Enzo.

Her thoughts were cut off by the sound of fire suddenly roaring inside of the fire place.

She swallowed uneasily as she watched the flames dance in the reflection of Cade's pitch black eyes.

"I assure you, Miss Bennett. There is no other way and the time you have to make your decision is running short," the powerful psychic informed coldly, "Perhaps, I should show you how your beloved is fairing without your aide."

Before Bonnie could react, Cade placed the palm of his free hand on top of her forehead causing Bonnie body to go completely stiff. Seconds later, a sharp gasp escaped her lips as a flurry of images began to assault her mind. The intrusion was so brutal and sudden that it caused the corner of her eyes to burn with unshed tears and her heart begin to race at an abnormal speed. The image of Enzo sitting tied to a chair and gagged came into focus and she swallowed with great difficulty as she noticed that his grey Hensley sweater was wet and darkened by blood. His cries of pain was muffled by the filthy rag that had been shoved inside of his mouth and was being held in place by a piece of worn rope that had been doused in vervain. She could sense so much despair in the room, that it made her shiver and she cried out softly. She could practically feel his pain, anger and fear vibrating through her body as if it was her very own. Just when she thought she had seen more than enough, a sinister laughter rang out causing her blood to run cold. Kai came into focus and he was swaggering over to Enzo with a demented look on his face.

"How about we go one more round, and this time," Kai smirked, before lifting his hand menacingly, "Try not to scream. Motice."

The sound of Enzo's arm breaking was followed by a smothered howl of pain that caused Bonnie's unshed tears to finally fall.

"No!" Bonnie screamed helplessly as she stumbled away from Cade's touch causing the horrific images flashing inside of her head to disappear abruptly.

Cade appeared to look somber and apologetic. The last thing he had wanted was to do was cause Bonnie any kind of emotional pain, but unfortunately, it had been necessary. The more time that she took considering his offer, the chances of changing her mind and refusing his help increased. In order for his plan to move forward, it was paramount that Bonnie accepted the ring. If he had to manipulate her emotionally and take advantage of her at a very weak and vulnerable moment, so be it.

"I hate that you had to witness that, but the longer that you hesitate to accept my help, the more pain Enzo will endure," he said gently as he extended his hand holding the ancient piece of jewelry, "You can put an end to his misery and torment. You will have the power to not only protect just him. You can protect everyone that you care about. All you have to do is just take the ring."

Bonnie felt her heart pound violently against her ribcage as she reached over and lifted the delicate piece of jewelry from his hand. She felt he hairs on the back of her neck stand up as she felt the power being discharged the worn band. She knew that once she went through with this, there was no going back. Whatever the consequences were, she was going to have to deal with them at a later date. Right now, Enzo needed her help and that was more important than anything else.

"Fine," Bonnie whispered harshly as she brushed the tears from her cheeks with her fingertips, "I'll do it."

A victorious smile slowly blossomed across Cade's lips and Bonnie got the feeling this was how prey felt right before the predators pounced an attacked. Ignoring her fear and the alarm bells going off in her head, she inhaled sharply before slipping the ring on middle finger securely. Seconds later, she felt the familiar buzz of power warm her core and her olive green eyes brightened as she felt connection to the extraordinary power that she had been deprived of for far too long. The sensation of her gift being returned to her traveled from the bottom of her feet and surged through every single nerve ending and cell in her body causing an involuntary shiver to dance down her spine and a gasp of surprise escaped her lips. She had experienced her natural born magic when she had first come into it and she had experienced Expression, but the supernatural energy that was currently flowing through her veins felt different. It felt foreign. It felt ancient.

Reaching up, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat.

"Thank you," she managed to say when she found her voice again.

Cade nodded his head slightly before offering her a kind smile. "It was my pleasure to help. I look forward to us working together in the future."

Bonnie didn't know what to say, so instead of lying through her teeth and saying that she shared his same sentiment, she simply nodded mutely. Seconds later when she blinked, he was gone. Starring down at her hands, she took a brief moment to appreciate the fact that she now had the power to go after Enzo and save him from whatever sadistic torture that Kai was currently putting him through. Not wanting to waste anymore time, Bonnie dashed upstairs looking for an item she could use to perform a locator spell that would lead her to Enzo's whereabouts. As she rummaged through his drawers, she released a happy sigh as she stumbled across the blood necklace that she had returned to Enzo. Days ago, she had been peeved and upset that he had insisted on keeping it, but now she was kind of relieved that he did. Blood would help give her precise direction to his location. Heading back downstairs, she went into the kitchen and pulled a map out of Mystic Falls and silently hoped that wherever Enzo was being held, it was local. After spending the next few minutes gathering candles and everything she needed for the spell, she returned to the living room where she spread the map across the coffee table and poured the blood inside of the necklace on top of it.

Closing her eyes, she lowered herself on her knees and clasped her hands below her chin. Her lips trembled and her brow furrowed as she struggled to remember the words to cast the spell. It's been years since she had uttered Latin, and the words were caught in the back of her throat like a dry hairball. She knew that she was just anxious and nervous and the pressure she was feeling to rescue Enzo was causing her to have performance issues. Taking a deep breath, she forced all the doubt and insecurities from her mind before allowing her magic to kick in and did what came natural to ever since she had first experienced the touch of her magic. Clenching her fingers tightly into a fist, her eyes flickered open and unbeknownst to her, there was a flicker of golden flames behind her iris.

"Incendia," she whispered and immediately large flames of fire shot off the wick on the candles that she had strategically placed around the room.

After chanting for several minutes, the trail of blood began to move and didn't stop until it fell over the address of the Lockwood Manor. Bonnie couldn't help but feel a strange feeling of Deja vu as she realized that the Lockwood was the place that she had dreamt of the night before. Shaking off the bad vibe, she pulled her back into a tight ponytail before grabbing her car keys off the table.

 _"Hold on, Enzo. I'm on my way_ ," Bonnie promised silently before rushing out of the house.

 ** _End Note: I have found my mojo and will be updating this story regularly. Thanks for everyone who is still sticking with it._**


	13. Chapter 13

_**AN: So my New Orleans Saints lost and I am super bummed. I got tipsy and decided to write. If you feel sorry for me, leave a review. Good, bad. I don't care.**_

The sound of gravel crunching beneath the tires of a Porshe pierced the quiet night's air as Stefan slowly eased into the driveway leading to the Lockwood Manor. As he turned off the engine, a puff of cold air escaped his lips as a breath as he leaned forward in his seat and fixed his gaze on the sprawling mansion that was eerily dark and quiet. When he had spoken to Sybil earlier and discussed the terms of the drop out, she had made it perfectly clear to him that she didn't trust him as far as she could throw him. If he didn't bring the package to exchange before midnight, all bets were off. Lowering his forest green eyes to the clock on the panel facing the driver side of the vehicle, he sighed deeply as he realized that he was ten minutes away from the looming deadline. To retrieve Elena, it had taken him one hour to get to the warehouse in New York where her body was kept and it took another hour to return back to Mystic Falls. The ride hadn't been exhausting, but Stefan was more than ready to get this trade over with so that he could grab a bite to eat and return to his comfortable California King size bed that was waiting for him back at the Boarding he was lucky, the snack that he was craving would come in the form of some leggy blonde who had O negative blood and was down for a good time that included blood letting and hot sex. Just the thought of getting his fix of blood and getting some relief from the built up sexual frustration he had been experiencing over the past few days caused the bulge inside of his denim jeans to grow, and a low moan escaped his be told, seconds before Stefan had left Bonnie Bennett's home earlier that evening, he had been more than a little tempted to get his fix from her. Her consumption of wine and the impromptu massage had loosen her up and for the briefest of moments he thought she would cave to the sexual tension that had been buzzing between them.

Unfortunatly, the tempation hadn't been enough to break through the resistance that had empowered her to be completely and utterly faithful to her man. Her loyalty was something he both admired and resented due to the fact that Caroline and Elena had never offered him the level of devotion that Bonnie had displayed that evening. Elena had tried desperately to hold on to their epic love and even spent months lying to both him and herself about where her heart truly lied, but at the end of the day, she had chosen to be with his brother which had devastated him. Just when he thought falling for Caroline wouldn't lead him down that same road of betrayal and misery, Caroline had threw his ring back in is face after the stunt he had pulled as the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant. He smiled bitterly as he thought back on all the things that he had forgiven her for in the past. He had always stood by her, even when she insisted on pushing him away, but when he failed to live up to her incredibly high standards, the first moment she got, she threw his engagement ring back in his face and walked away.

As he climbed out out of his Porsche and made his way towards the back of the vehicle, a thought suddenly occurred to him. Maybe he was better off a lone. The women in his life bought him nothing but heartache and misery. Opening the trunk, he stared down at the slumbering doppelgänger feeling a wave of bitterness and resentment wash over him. Maybe after he got rid of Elena, he would focus his energy on his neurotic ex fiancé and get rid of her too. After they were gone, they would be no woman left in his life that had the ability to hurt him anymore.

Reaching down into the trunk, he made a move to lift Elena into his arms when something happened that made him cry out startled before stumbling away from the vehicle.

 **(*)**

 _ **"I'm Elena."**_

 _ **"I'm Stefan"**_

 _ **"I know. We have history together."**_

 _ **(*)**_

The memory of his first encounter with Elena hit him so hard that he nearly doubled over. His mouth grew dry and he felt his guts twist as he struggled to gain control of his emotions. Closing his eyes, his chest tightened noticeably as he recalled the way she had smiled at him when he had approached her in the grave yard. Her big brown eyes had been filled with so much sadness and grief that he couldn't help but to be drawn to her. She had appeared to him as a beacon that represented a second chance at life and a second chance of love. She had been someone he had thought would have been his angel of mercy and salvation, but he had been wrong. As the memory of his first encounter with Elena fade, he was quickly and abruptly overwhelmed with the memories that came after that fateful meeting in the graveyard. He was flooded with the recollection of the good times, the bad times, and the moment that their epic love affair had ended in devastating heartbreak.

Gritting his teeth, he fisted his hair into his fingers before walking away from the Porshe feeling eternally torn. He knew what this feeling was. The pull of the light and righteous side of him that wore the mask of his humanity. The good part of him, or whatever good was left of him anyways, was trying to claw its way out from the cold darkness in order to protect and save Elena. He would have laughed at the insanity of the situation if he didn't currently find himself so pathetic. After everything that had happened between him and Elena, it should have been easy to let her go. God knows he had his reasons. Giving up Elena would solve so many problems. It would remove her as an obstacle between him and his brother, it would secure Enzo's release and allow him to return to Bonnie, and it would force everyone to live their lives without having to be anchored down to the doe eyed doppelgänger. Unfortunately, he could ignore the one reason that he wanted to keep her safe. Deep down, beneath the bitterness, the pain, the anger and the hate...a part of him still cared about her. Jamming the heels of his palms into his eye socket, he inhaled sharply. He could turn his back on his hometown, he could even turn his back on his own brother for decades, but he couldn't seem to turn his back on Elena and make it stick.

(*)

 _ **"Humanity is a vampire's greatest weakness. No matter how easy it is to turn it off, it keeps trying to fight its way back in. Sometimes, I let it."** _

(*)

Katherine Pierce's surprisingly sage words served as a cruel and taunting soundtrack to the internal struggle taking place inside of the conflicted vampire. The more that his conscience tried bleeding out, the more angrier that he got. Glaring down at Elena, he couldn't help but wonder how it was possible that he could feel such conflicting feelings for one person? How could he want to throw her to the wolves while simultaneously feeling the annoying need to protect her? He was so sick of his past feelings for Elena coming back to bite him back at the most inconvenient times. He was tired of actually giving a crap when he had no reason to. Pinching the bridge of his nose he, forced himself to focus on the task at hand. The deadline was growing near and this was no time for him to be having second thoughts. If he had any chance of breaking lose from his humanity once and for all, he had no other choice but to get rid of Elena. His jaw tightened and his forest green eyes narrowed as he finally came to a decision about her fate.

Moving as careful and gentle as he could, Stefan lifted Elena's body out of the trunk. Draping her over his shoulder, he secured his arm around her waist before using his free hand to gently close the trump. Making his way up the jagged little path leading to the eerie mansion, the caramel haired vampire frowned as he got a familiar charge electrifying the air. The only time he had ever sensed this type of power was whenever he was around Bonnie, which led him to the conclusion that a witch was somewhere on the premises. Even though this discovery should have made him more on guard and alert, Stefan wasn't too concerned. As long as Sybil held up the end of her deal and released Enzo once he handed Elena over, there was nothing to worry about.

The first thing that the carmel haried vampire noticed when he walked into the Lockwood Manor, was the smell of blood and mold permeating through the air. Glancing around the foyer, it was clear that the place was a far cry from what it had once been when Carol Lockwood had been alive and in charge. The Manor that was notorious and infamous for hosting dinner parties for the small town's elite and had walls covered with the most exclusive and expensive paintings that money could buy. All of that eloquence and prestige that had been the foundation of the Manor was destroyed. Approaching the living room, he noticed that there was spider webs covering every corner of the room, a leaky pipe was protruding through the ceiling causing several deep puddles in the broken tiles that had once been a marble floor. Something in the East corner of the room caught his eye, and he frowned when he spotted a box filled with abandoned photo albums. He couldn't explain it, but something about the sight of the abandoned photo albums made him feel a sense of Deja vu which creeped him out.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when he finally took notice that he wasn't alone in the depressing looking living room. Turning his head slightly to the right, he found Enzo tied to a kitchen chair barely conscious and hidden in the shadows. Stefan eyes narrowed evenly as he spotted Kai standing behind him with a small pocket knife in his hands and a giddy expression on his demented face.

"Stefan," Kai exclaimed as he abandoned Enzo and apporached the other vampire with a lopsided smile on his mouth, "Long time, no see."

Stefan merely rolled his eyes in response as he walked past the beaming heretic and deposited Elena on a raggedy couch near the floor to ceiling windows at the East side of the living room. After placing her hands across her flat stomach, he walked back over to Kai and spared him a glance of indifference.

"I remember this place being a bit more stylish and sophisticated, but now it's run down and disgusting," Stefan said wrinkling his nose, "I guess it's current condition is suited for you considering how repulsive you are."

"I see some things haven't changed,"Kai sighed as he clutched his chest before batting his eye lashes. "You are still as charming as ever."

Stefan snorted softly before turning his attention to Enzo. He was gagged and breathing heavilly through his nose and his face was twisted and contorted with excruciating pain. From the looks of things, Kai had really done a number on him. Seeing Stefan's brooding forehead furrowing, Kai chuckled amused. "Don't look so glum, chum. I didn't tune him up that bad. I mean, compare to the way you work, this is just a little child's play."

"I couldn't agree more seeing how the person responsible for Enzo's assault has the emotional maturity of a toddler," Stefan said dryly causing the smile to disappear slowly from Kai's face, "Tell me, Kai. What kind of person attacks someone who can't hit back? I knew you were a lot of things, but I never taken you to be a coward."

Kai narrowed his bluishe gray eyes as he swaggered over to Stefan slowly.

"You want to talk about cowardice?" he drawled slyly, "Let's talk about you showing up here all happy and eager to hand over your former epic love. You have had plenty of chances to kill her and completely remove her from the equation as far as you and your brother concern, yet here she is still breathing peacefully in a magical coma while you wait for Sybil to do what you never had the balls to do and that's end Elena's pathetic little life."

Stefan was considering whether or not to lay Kai flat on his ass when the sound of the front door opening and closing caused him to hesitate. He heard the sound of two separate footsteps echo down the hall leading to the living room, and Stefan tensed as he braced himself for whoever it was preparing to enter his line of vision. Sybil appeared looking pleased and happy as she clung to the arm of a man who looked like he had just stepped off the front cover of a GQ magazine. He was at least six feet and six inches tall, he had a head full of raven black hair and his eyes were the color of sable. His jaw was chiseled and square and was covered with a five o' clock shadow.. Sybil and the mystery man took a look around the room and while Sybil looked genuinely mortified and angry, the human she was latched on seemed unbothered and strangely calm. If any other person was to walk into a room where a man was tied to a chair and covered in blood, they would have freaked out, but judging from this guy's cool demeanor, it was obvious that he was under Sybil's spell that was her own special brand of manipulation and mind fuck.

"What. Did. You. Do?" Sybil hissed in horror as she took in Enzo's battered and bloodied condition.

"I was just having a little fun at his expense," Kai mumbled as he shrugged indifferently, "I don't see what the big deal is."

"I can't even leave you alone for one minute without you screwing everything up," Sybil snapped angrily, "He was suppose to remain unharmed."

"First of all, you were gone for, like, hours. Secondly, you should have specified what condition you wanted him left in before you went prancing off to find you some aged inappropriate jiggalo. I mean first you drone on and on about how you are hard up for Damon and now you are dragging in this kid. I don't mean to slut shame, Sybs, but isn't going back and forth between Damon and this dude going to be a little rough on the hardware?" Kai asked frowning.

"You want to be very careful on how you address me, Malachai. I may very well forget that you and I are allies," she warned evenly.

Kai flashed a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. He was never the type to take being threatened lightly. Especially when Sybil was acting like she was somehow superior to him and in charge. She may have recruited him to help her out on her plan to screw Damon and Bonnie over, but she wasn't his master and he wasn't her puppet. He had every intentions on dolling out pain in all the ways that he saw fit and if she had a problem with that, she could go fuck herself.

"You will do well to remember that your cheap parlor tricks don't work on me, Sybs. You take a step against me, and I promise you, you will regret it," he said coldly, "Enzo can tell you personally that I don't play nice.

Sybil narrowed her eyes at the bold heretic and for a moment, she swore she was seeing red. The little prick was seriously working her last nerve and she was feeling highly frustrated that she couldn't use her special set of skills to put him in a world of pain right now. She couldn't help but resent Cade for making her work with Kai. Sure, he was a twisted sociopath who had a love for killing and torturing several annoying supernatural citizens of Mystic Falls, but he was unpredictable and Sybil didn't trust people who weren't playing with a full deck of cards when it came to their mental mind frame.

After sending him one last murderous look, she pointedly decide to ignore him as she made her way over to where Enzo was groaning softly in agony.

"My poor Lorenzo," she murmered as she reached down and removed the gag from his mouth. His eyes lifted towards her face and while she knew that he despised her with ever fiber of his being, she smiled as she could sense that a very small part of him was appreciative for her presence. "If I knew what that animal had planned for you, I would have never left you alone." She was preparing to untie him when something lying across the couch a couple of feet away from her. Her lips parted and a soft squeal of surprise erupted from her throat as she walked over to Elena and stared down at her with a triumphant look on her face. She clapped her hands in child like glee before turning her gaze away from the doppelgänger so that she could lock eyes with Stefan.

"I really didn't think you had it in you to give her up," she admitted breathlessly, "Elena Gilbert. She is a modern version of Helen of Troy. The face that lanched a thousand ships! She is the one person in the world that all of the most powerful super naturals are wiling to wage war over." The disdain in the siren's voice was more than prominent. It was ice cold and chilling. "When I got your phone call offering to hand Elena over, I thought you were laying a ill intentioned trap for me where you, Bonnie and Damon would somehow try and take me down, but I was...wrong. It's weird for me to say that because being psychic and all, that almost never happens."

"What can I say?" Stefan inquired as he emitted a long, deep and audible breath expressing indifference. "I'm not one to hold on to dead weight."

"Referring to your former flame as dead weight is a bit harsh," Sybil tsked with a devious smile on her lips, "I have to admit that cold and heartless is a good look on you Stefan."

Turning away from Stefan, Sybil's gaze drifted over to Enzo who was staring at her warily.

"As much as I hate to let you go, I guess a deal is a deal." she reached down and tugged lightly at his restraints causing them to fall away easily. "However, I think it would be rather rude of me to send you back to Bonnie in this condition." Running her fingers through Enzo's hair with a fond smile, she used her free hand to motion Todd over to where she was standing. "Todd, would you be a dear and give my friend some of your blood?"

Without batting a single eyelash, the man in question lowered himself on his knees in front of Enzo before tilting his head back and exposing his throat. Enzo wasted no time and sunk his teeth into Todd's neck and began to gulp down healthy amounts of blood. When he felt his strength returning, he detached his fangs from Todd's flesh and wiped the blood off his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Don't be a shy eater, Enzo. Feel free to take more," Sybil offered generously, "Todd doesn't mind."

"I'm fine," Enzo mumbled pushing the weak human aside before slowly rising from the chair. "You need more blood to replenish your energy," Sybil insisted as she snatched Todd up off his knees before shoving him back into Enzo's arms.

"I said I had enough," Enzo repeated a litter shaper than he had intended as he stood in front of the weak and fragile human that was clutching the side of his neck tightly in a desperate attempt to keep his blood from spurting from the artery vein.

Feeling re jected and a little hurt, Sybil turned her attention towards Stefan who was standing by idly with a stoic look on his face. Despite the fact that he seemed unbothered by the sight of a vulnerable bleeding man who could easily be made a delicious meal, Sybil was able to use her psychic abilities to detect that he was struggling with his hunger. Feeling the need to be entertained, Sybil gently took Todd's hand and led him over to Stefan who bristled noticeably as his nostrils flared from the strong scent of the blood dripping from Todd's neck and making a small trail across the floor.

"My apologies. I just realized that I have failed in my duties as a host. Would you care for a bite?" Sybil asked innocently as her lips pursed in a pretty pout.

Stefan's green eyes darkened and he felt his stomach churn violently.

"No," he growled roughly as he focused his gaze on anything and everything but the bleeding man standing several feet away from him.

An unlady like snort escaped Sybil's lips. The fact that Stefan was trying to pretend was was unaffected by the blood spilling across the floor was both amusing and pointless. She didn't need her psychic abilities to know that the blood thirsty feign trapped inside the young Salvatore vampire was just itching to come out to play.

"Why not? You showed up here and delivered me the doppleganger," Sybil pointed out as toyed with the platinum necklace that was hanging loosely around her swan like neck. "I only think it's proper that you have some kind of reward."

Before Stefan could respond, Sybil reached over and pressed her thumb against Todd's oozing wound causing him to hiss in agony. She spared him an half hearted look of regret before turning back to Stefan. Reaching up, she smeared her bloodied digit across his bottom lip causing a strangled moan to escape his lips. Before anyone could move, Stefan blurred over to where Todd was swaying and pounced on him. Ripping into his jugular, he fed violently causing the drab walls to be sprayed with blood and torn pieces of flesh. Sybil and Enzo were no strangers to the gruesome nature of the Rippah, but Kai had never seen anything or anyone feed that violently, and it made him feel a little nauseous.

"And you call me the savage," the heretic mumbled as he stared transfixed by the mess Stefan had left behind after his feeding.

"You were suppose to have a little taste, Stefan. You weren't suppose to rip him apart," she said nonplussed. "I had special plans for him that required certain body parts to be attached."

Stefan rolled his blood soaked tongue across his fangs and stared the siren down with a sinister look clouding his handsome face. Sybil thought she was slick by standing in front of him feigning a look of innocence and mild disbelief, but he could see through her as if she was made of a glass. She was intentionally pressing buttons and goading him to go flying off the rails. He didn't know what game she was playing, but he wasn't intending on sticking around and finding out. He could feel his blood lust pounding at the door of his consciousness, but he wasn't about to lose complete control over his life long obsession with blood. Especially not in front of Sybil and Kai. There was no doubt in his mind that Sybil and Kai would jump at the opportunity to take advantage of him if he became a slave to his blood lust and that was the last thing that he needed to happen. Closing his eyes, be began to gather his bearings and push back the beast that was roaring and clawing to break through the surface. The sooner he got Enzo and got out of there, the sooner he could lock the monster back inside of it's cage.

"I regret my poor manners. I could have least left a piece of him for you to enjoy, but what's done is done," Stefan apologized lamely as he backed away from Sybil, "However, I would like to get back to the point of why we are gathered here in the first place. I held up my end and delivered Elena into your custody, so if you can just hand over Enzo, he and I will be on our way."

Sybil shook her finger in front of his face as if she was chastizing a small child. "Not so fast, Salvatore." She studied him closely before grinning deviously. "Before you take Enzo and ride off into the dark of the night, there is something that I am dying to know. Why are you so willing to hand Elena over for Enzo? Last time I checked, you and Enzo aren't exactly friends and ever since you became Cade's newest minion, you haven't exactly jumping at the chance to play the part of hero to anyone," she mused out loud with her big brown eyes filled with curiosity. Placing her hands on her hips, she stared up at the ceiling and tapped the toe of her left foot giving off the impression that she was trying to solve a seemingly complicated algebraic problem. "You either really hate your brother and this is the only way you know to really hit him where it hurts or you are trying to get on the good side of little Bonnie Bennett. So humor me. What's your angle, Rippah?"

Enzo's head snapped up at the mention of his girlfriend. Even though Stefan's face was stoic and unreadable, he could tell from his body language that he clearly was less than comfortable with siren's line of questioning.

"Why does my motives matter to you? You got what you want. By this time tomorrow, you can use Elena to get Damon to do whatever you want him to do. Does anything else really matter?" Stefan huffed annoyed.

Sybil lip curled into a hostile sneer as she realized that he was trying to avoid giving her an answer to her inquiry. She realized that by deflecting, Stefan was attempting to cover up something that he didn't want exposed to the naked eye, and Sybil was going to press until he came clean. After all, she was never the type to leave certain stones unturned.

"You are keeping something from me. Something naughty," she growled as she perched her hands on her hips and stared at him accusingly, "You know how I feel about secrets so you should do yourself and just come clean because if I have to go digging around in that complex head of yours, things might get messy."

Stefan licked his lips slowly as he stared down at the fuming siren. "Do your best, Sybil. I'm not afraid of-"

Before he could finish his statement, Sybil pressed the palm of her hand against his chest and he grimaced trying not to show any signs of weakness. As she wormed her way through his mind, she bit down on her bottom lip and scrunched her face up into confusion before her eyes snapped opened in disbelief. Removing her hand from her chest, she slowly began to fan herself.

"Wow," she murmered saucily," I must say that was one hell of a kiss you and Bonnie shared. No wonder you are so anxious to play hero for her. You fancy her," Sybil giggled shaking her head amused. "Selling out the love of your life for a chance for a new romance. That's classic."

Enzo glared at Sybil angrilly. "You're lying. Bonnie would never..."

Sybil glanced at the seething raven haired vampire sympathetically before turning her attention back towards Stefan.

"Let me tell you what I know, Enzo. Not only did Stefan force your blood down Bonnie's throat on the day of the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant, but he kissed her, very passionately, might I add," she revealed darkly, "Not only did he seem to have enjoyed it, but she did as well. I know the obvious question I should be asking is why Stefan would kiss her when his heart supposedly belongs to sweet Caroline, but that's not bothers me. What bothers me is why did get off on kissing her in front of Damon?"

Before Stefan could come up with a response to Sybil's angry interrogation, Kai began to choke violently causing a much needed distraction from the tension .

"Wait a sec," Kai mumbled swallowing down a mouth full of chewed up skittles before he moved off his perch on the arm chair and made his way over to Stefan, "You and Bonnie actually swapped spit? I'm confused. The last time I checked, she preferred the more snarky and older Salvatore vampire. You must have been really desperate," He started to snicker but stopped abruptly when Sybil cast a dirty look in his direction.

"Stefan wasn't desperate," she snapped irritably, before taking a deep breath to calm herself. "He kissed Bonnie because he wanted to. Not because he was weak."

Enzo slowly turned away from the seething siren and faced Stefan with a cold look in his dark eyes.

"So is she telling the truth, mate? You actually had the nerve to tarnish Bonnie with that filthy mouth of yours? "Enzo spat disgusted as he glowered at Stefan who couldn't bother looking the least bit remorseful, "Why?"

A dark and cold smile slowly stretched across Stefan's lips as he replayed the sordid memory in his mind. "I could lie to you and say that what I did was a mistake and that I regretted claiming her sweet, pretty mouth for my own. I could stand here and pretend that I didn't like it, but I did," he laughed quietly, as he folded his arms across his chest, "I liked it a lot, actually. The truth is that I put the moves on Bonnie because there is nothing that I love more than pissing Damon off and I have a terrible habit of not being able to resist a beautiful woman."

Enzo bristled and felt his ears burn from the heat of his anger. Ignoring alarm bells going off in his head, he marched across the room and invaded Stefan's personal space with his fist clenched tightly at his side.

"You think kissing my girl is amusing, mate?" he asked haughtilly, "I'm willing to bet you didn't find it funny when Damon was shoving his tongue down Elena's throat when she claimed to be in love with you."

Stefan scoffed rudely as he shoved Enzo away from him. "If you think that is going to get a rise out of me, you're going to be really disappointed. I bought Elena here to gain your freedom. Clearly, she means absolutely nothing to me."

"Bonnie," Enzo started softly as he clenched his hands into tight fists, "Does she mean something to you?"

A nerve in Stefan's jaw twitched as he clenched his teeth and narrowed his eyes as the vampire standing before him. He knew that he could simply lie and brush this whole thing off like it was beneath him, but the truth was that Enzo wouldn't believe him and Stefan wasn't sure if he could be a convincing liar when it came to what he felt for Bonnie when he wasn't even sure himself. Sure, he wanted to fuck her seven different ways from Sunday, and there was the little fact that he wanted to build an actual friendship between them that didn't revolve around Elena or Damon, but those two things didn't equate to him having some sort of romantic feelings for her, did it?

"I don't know," Stefan said after several long tense moments had passed.

As the two vampires regarded each othier with thinly veiled contempt and hostility, Kai was busy watching the drama unfold in front of him with a shit eating grin stretched across his face. He knew that his time spent in hell had taken him out of the loop and he had been clueless on what had been taking place in his absence, but from the looks of things, he had severely underestimated how many things had changed. Finding out Bonnie was dating the great value version of Damon had been surprising, but learning that Stefan was the Salvatore brother sniffing around Bonnie's goods instead of Damon...that was gold. Kai had always assumed that Damon would be the one to cave and give in to his attraction to the little Bennett witch, but apparently he had been wrong. Stefan kissing Bonnie revealed that Damon wasn't the only one who harbored a sexual attraction towards Bonnie and that little revelation was going to make things a whole lot more interesting than Kai ever expected. Shifting his gaze between Enzo and Stefan, the enraptured heretic silently wonder which of the supernatural powerhouses was worth betting on if a fight just so happened to break out between them. Sure, Stefan was older and more ruthless than Enzo, but Enzo was a man fighting to protect his spoils which made him a very dangerous contender.

Sybil released a sharp laugh as she shook her head in disbelief. She was practically vibrating with anger. "I'm so tired of the men in Bonnie's little harem pretending that she is decent and she is worthy of such loyalty and devotion," she spat venomously, "She thinks she is untouchable because Cade has taken him under his wing. She thinks that she is so special because she has Damon and Enzo wrapped around her fingers, but I have news for you. She's not! Bonnie is vulnerable and if I really wanted to, I..could..make...her...hurt."

"Stop with all the theatrics and monologues, Sybil," Stefan groaned annoyed, "You are getting everything that you want. By this time tomorrow, my brother will be offering you his undead heart in exchange for keeping Elena safe from harm. What more could you possibly want?"

Sybil smiled coldly as she walked across the room and stepped into Stefan's personal space without a single care for her personal well being. "For someone who pretends to be so astute, you are coming across as incredibly dense, Stefan. What I want is to make her hurt. What I want is to make Bonnie freaking Bennet feel unimaginable pain and horror. I want to break her. If I can't literally stab her in the back, I am going to figuratively stab her in the heart."

The three vampires in the room locked thier gazes on Sybil wearily as she paced back and forth across the wooden floor with a disturbed look on her attractive face. It was clear that she had an agenda against Bonnie and nothing that they could say or do could make her fall back. She was clearly obsessed with her and nothing that they could say or do would divert her from the chaotic path that she was currently on.

Seeing that she had finally commanded thier attention and taped into their sense of fear, she stuck her nose up in the air feeling superior and untouchable. "I am going to destroy everything and everyone that Bonnie cares about. I'm going to make her suffer."

"You may despise Bonnie, but here's the kicker," Stefan drawled slyly as he towered over the angry siren with a smug smirk on his face. "You can't touch her. Everyone in this room knows that Cade will mount your head to the wall if you so much as even breathe on her. Hate her all you want to, but at the end of the day, there is nothing you can do to hurt her."

"Wanna bet?" Sybil shot back with venom dripping from her words.

Before anyone could stop her, she walked over to the couch and reached down and wrapped her fingers around Elena's throat and proceeded to squeeze. A soft strangled noise escaped the doppelganger's dry and chapped lips as oxygen began to leave her lungs. Before he could second guess what he was about to do, Enzo used his vampire agility to rush to Elena's aide. Grabbing Sybil by the arm, he slung her against the wall and pent her shoulders against the cracked partition. Sybil felt her breath catch in her throat as Enzo leaned closer to her with a menacing look in his dark brown eyes.

"Don't touch her," Enzo warned quietly and with a hard edge in his voice.

"Why do you care what happens to Elena?" she taunted insipidly, "It's not like you will be broken up when she is dead and gone."

"True," he agreed frankly, "Elena and I aren't particularly close but she means a lot to my girl and she means a lot to Damon. Once Damon knows that you have her, he will do anything that you want. Killing Elena to hurt Bonnie isn't necessary. There has to be another way for you to achieve your agenda without hurting a single hair on the Elena's head."

Sybil stared into Enzo's eyes and the desperation she saw both moved her and made her feel even more resentment towards Bonnie. He could have walked out of the door and returned home into the arms of his precious little witch, but here he was trying to do all that he could to make sure that the most important person in Bonnie's life, Elena Gilbert, wasn't harmed or killed. That level of devotion, that need to protect the people that his lover cared about showed true selfless and she realize that with that amount of affection came the willingness to sacrifice and put Bonnie's need above his own. Suddenly, Sybil realized that her earlier impulse to strike Elena down had been foolish and had been a reaction born out of pure emotion. If she was to be logical, hurting Bonnie would mean claiming something close to her heart. Since killing Enzo wasn't something she was interested, she smiled slowly as an idea slowly began to form in her head. The only thing that bought her more pleasure than spilling the blood of the wicked was using their flesh for her own personal enjoyment. Since Stefan had killed the man Sybil had intended on using to satisfy her physical needs, there was one other prospect that the siren simply couldn't pass up.

"There isn't anything that you wouldn't do to protect Bonnie and the people she loves, is there?" she murmured impressed as she bit down on her bottom lip while starring up at him suggestively.

Stefan frowned suspciously as he watched the heat between Sybil and Enzo simmer in a slow and intense pace. He was starting to get the feeling that something extraordinarily bad was about to take place.

"You were right Enzo," Sybill confessed softly, "There is another way for me to get what I want without hurting and Elena." Moving closer to him, she grinned as she felt his entire body stiffen as her lips brushed his earlobe. "Maybe we should take this conversation somewhere a little more private so that I can tell you all the different ways and different positions it will take to save Elena from a certain death."

Enzo blinked startled as he stumbled back looknig extremely flustered. She couldn't possibly be suggesting what he think she was suggesting.

"Don't look so taken aback, Lorenzo," she advised smiling as she tapped his cheek gently with her right hand, "What I want from you isn't anything that you haven't given me before. Pull yourself together and come to me when you are ready to talk about the price you are going to pay to keep Elena safe and Bonnie happy. I will be upstairs waiting," she informed excitedly, her melodic voice thrumming inside of the vampire's ear, "The choice is entirely up to you."

Turning to Stefan, she flipped her short hair over her shoulder before smirking. "I know this probably goes without saying, but I simply don't trust you. If Enzo does decide to what it takes to save Elena's life, Kai is going to take the necessary steps to make sure you stay around until Enzo completes his task to my absolute satisfaction. I wouldn't want you to do something like intervene and interrupt us while we are getting...intimate."

Stefan flashed his teeth wolfishly. "Honestly, Sybil. You really think this kid can physically keep me from leaving?"

"Intresting fact, Stefan. I don't have to physically restrain you," Kai informed smugly, "A boundary spell is all it takes to keep you in place."

Sybil wiggled her nose and smiled gleefully as she watched the grin quickly fade from Stefan's face.

"Perfect," she sighed sweetly. "Now that we have all the unpleasantries out the way, I can look forward to attending to much more gratifying matters."

Before Enzo could respond, Sybil blew him a flirty kiss before turning on her heels and making her way out of the living room. Kai, Stefan and Enzo watched her hips sway to and fro as she disappeared from their sight. The tread of her heels clicked quietly against the hardwood floors as she slowly ascended up the staircase. The silence that had fallen over the living room was broken by the sound of Kai clapping slowly and dramatically. Stefan and Enzo turned and faced the grinning heretic with matching looks of annoyance on their faces.

"I must say. This has been one hell of an evening," Kai exclaimed, his eyes wide and bright with amusement, "So entertaining. I thought I was diabolical, but Sybil...that is one spiteful bitch." He turned his attention towards Enzo and shakes his head sympathetically. "If you leave with Stefan, you are condemning poor little Elena Gilbert to a tragic death. If you stay and sleep with Sybil, you spare Elena while simultaneously betraying Bonster. Would you like to know what I would do if I was in your situation?"

"No," Enzo stated flatly, "I don't have to ask because I already know. You would leave Elena here to die because you are selfish and nothing or no one else in this world matters to you."

"God, you are such a boyscott, Fonzo," Kai began but was silenced abruptly when Enzo suddenly appeared in his face, their noses practically brushing. "The name is Enzo, and if I were you, I wouldn't press my luck by continuing to comment on matters that is no concern to you." Enzo warned murderously. The heat between the two men was intense and Stefan knew that it was only a matter of time before one of the vampire's lost their cool and threw the first blow. Even though Stefan knew that Kai could probably get the upper hand on Enzo, he wasn't exactly interested in watching an smack down ensue between the two, so reluctantly, he placed his hand on Enzo's shoulder and pulled him back so that they were no longer invading each other's space.

Enzo shrugged Stefan hand off his shoulder and leveled him with grave look.

"I should go. Sybil is waiting for me," he muttered as he made a move towards the exit of the living room.

"Enzo, you don't have to do this," Stefan insisted as he blocked the dark haired vampire's path, "When I made the decision to exchange Elena for your freedom, I knew the possible risks that came with that choice and I am fine with it. If Sybil decides to snuff her out, so be it. Elena is no longer my concern and she shouldn't be yours either."

Enzo shook his head. He found it both surprising and disappointed that Stefan was willing to give up a woman that he once loved so easily. Especially since Stefan knew how important Elena was to not only Bonnie, but to Damon. Stefan was so blinded by whatever emotions that he still had attached to Elena that he failed to see that handing over to someone as murderous and unstable as Sybil would be the straw that would finally break Damon's back. He knew that Damon was capable of forgiving a lot of things, but when it was all said and done, Damon will never forgive Stefan for playing a part in Elena's demise. Enzo knew that he owed it to Damon and Elena to make one last plea to Stefan so that he could see the errors of his ways before it was too late.

"Believe it or not, Damon loves you mate. Despite the eternity of misery that he promised you and all of the grief he has put you through over the years, he actually longs for the close brotherhood that the two of you had when you were human," he said, his voice soft as he stared at Stefan with a hardened look in his dark eyes, "If something happens to Elena because you chose to trade her life for mine, Damon will never forgive you. You will truly find out what it feels to be completely alone in this world." Enzo paused before a look of pain flashed across his face. "Take it from somewhere who has been there mate, being alone in this world is a fate far worse than death."

Stefan scoffed rudely. "You don't need to worry about my relationship with my brother. I know Damon's limits. I know exactly how far I can push him. What you should be worried about is your relationship with Bonnie. How are you going to look Bonnie in the face knowing that you screwed a woman she despise not only once, but twice? I have had front seats and seen what it looked like when Bonnie is betrayed." Stefan jaw clenched tightly as he distinctively recalled how badly Jeremy's betrayal had devastated her. He hadn't witnessed her grief up close and personal, but even from a distance he could tell that it changed her. It hardened her. Even though he didn't exactly like the fact that Enzo and Bonnie were together, the last thing he wanted was for Enzo to repeat Jeremy's past mistakes. Even if it was for noble purposes. "I am warning you. If you go through with this, it's going to destroy your relationship with Bonnie," Stefan cautioned softly. "This will change everything."

"My relationship with Bonnie will be fine because I don't plan on telling her anything about this night, and neither will you," he said stiffly. What Bonnie doesn't know, won't hurt her,"

Not waiting around to hear Stefan's response, he brushed past the brooding vampire before stalking out of the living room and headed up to the second floor of the mansion to find Sybil. Jogging up the stairs at a brisk pace, Enzo forced Stefan's warnings to the back of his head. As much as he hated to share a bed with a woman that wasn't his beloved Bonnie, he knew that keeping Elena safe was always the one thing that came first to Bonnie and the doppelgänger was a burden she had carried on her shoulders for far too long.. It was time for him to help carry some of that load and if that meant doing something that was unpleasant and demeaning, so be it.

Arriving at the entrance of the master bedroom, he sighed softly before making his way inside the room quietly. He felt his undead heart lodge inside of his throat as he took in the saucy siren's appearance. No longer was she wearing her simple clothes from earlier. Standing before him shamelessly, Sybil flaunted a navy blue see through robe that exposed the lacy black bra and panties that she was wearing to cover up her intimate and most private of places.

"I knew that you would make the right decision.," Sybil purred happily as she wrapped her arms around his waist pressing his body tightly against hers. Enzo tensed, but she didn't seem to notice as she was too busy gloating over the fact that she was seconds away from getting what she wanted. While it was Damon's mouth and hands that she desired on her body, she had to admit that Enzo wasn't a terrible choice for a stand in. She had been with her fair share of lovers, but there was something about the way he aimed to please a woman while in the throes of passion that commanded her interest and her respect. Fucking Enzo was going to bring her immense physical pleasure, but throwing the fact in Bonnie Bennett's annoyingly righteous and judgey little face was going to be fat, juicy cherry on a very delicious screw you cake.

Sighing sweetly, she slowly trailed her tiny hands from his firm chest before finding them a resting place on his hips. "I know that this may be hard for you at first, but just think about it this way. We were good together once. We can be good together for one last time."

"Bonnie can never know about this," he warned hoarsly as he felt her fingers glide over his manhood trapped inside of his black jeans, "This will hurt her and that's the last thing I want."

Sybil sucked her teeth and narrowed her eyes annoyed. The last thing she wanted Enzo thinking about was the charmless bore that he called a girlfriend. Bonnie was merely a boring moral, while she was a goddess among men. The fact that he was so willing to settle for someone who was his inferior was absolutely maddening. Not wanting her mood to sour any further, she forced a smile.

"You have no need to worry, darling," she lied softly as she curled her fingers around the nape of his neck causing their noses to brush against each other, "Your secret is safe with me."

Swallowing deeply, Enzo closed his eyes and reluctantly parted his lips as the saucy siren slipped her tongue inside of his mouth and kissed him hotly. Feeling the tension melt from his body, Sybil swallowed a moan of approval before lacing her fingers through his and slowly leading him back towards her bed.

 **End Note: Enzo screwing Sybil. *cue outrage* I know. Poor Bonnie. She can never catch a break. Good news. The next chapter is almost completed so I should be posting it before the week is up. Reviews are really motivating, so feel free to leave some feedback.**


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Sorry about the delay. Dealing with a tailbone injury has not been the most pleasant experiance. Enough of my woes and tribulations. Enjoy.**

"Oh, yes! Right there! Don't stop, Enzo! Harder!"

The sound of Sybil's cries of exstacy echoed through the halls of the Lockwood Manor, and it took everything in Stefan Salvatore's power not to scream. The headboard of the bed was slamming against the wall, the springs in the mattress was squealing beneath their frenzy coupling and the growls that was coming from Enzo sounded borderline animalistic. Enzo and Sybil had been going at it for the past forty five minutes, and the sex had grown increasingly loud and violent. It was disturbing enough to make Stefan regret one of the perks that came with being a vampire. Sensitive hearing. Having the ability to hear every explicit, vomit inducing detail of their sexcapade made him seriously consider picking a fight with Kai just to distract him from having to listen to the soundtrack of the siren and the vampire's fuck session. Stefan knew that Enzo was only being a willing participant because he felt like it was on his shoulders to save Elena from a certain death, but he couldn't help but notice that Enzo didn't really seem like he was enduring much suffering by making the sacrifice. Judging from the low husky grunts and the sharp painting, it sounded like Enzo was actually enjoying himself.

"I don't know what's worse," Kai complained as he leaned back into the chair he was sitting in and folding his hands behind his head, "Listening to those two get it on or me trying to remember the last time that I got any."

Silently grateful for the distraction, Stefan turned his attention towards the equally disgusted heretic who's face was currently being marred by a frown.

"Not getting much play on sociopaths meet dot com?" he taunted dryly, "Shocker."

Kai hummed and tilted his head looking pensive. "That would be a great app. Like minded killers being drawn together on a social platform. Unfortunately, I'm no longer interested in getting with some random person to just hit it and quit it. Believe it or not, I'm saving my magic stick for someone very special."

Stefan would have openly mocked Kai's pathetic romantic notion of falling in love if he wasn't so disturbed over the fact that the warlock had just referred to his penis as a magic stick.

"Do you think that Bonnie is that enthusiastic when Enzo is fucking her, or do you think she is more docile and mellow?" Kai murmured with an inquisitive look on his face. The sucker he had been consuming earlier was gone and all that remained was the tiny white stick that was hanging out the corner of his mouth. "I always imagined that she was a screamer who likes it a little rough and kinky. After all, it is always the quiet ones who are the biggest freaks in the sheets."

Stefan sighed heavilly as he stared at Kai with a bored expression on his face.

"Do you ever stop talking?" he asked annoyed.

Kai grinned and shrugged casually. "I prefer the sound of my own voice over the sound of psycho Sybil and the Brit getting it on. Plus, it's been awhile since you and I have seen each other, so let's catch up. "He paused as he studied Stefan closely with a dark smile twisting on his thin lips. "What was it like locking lips with Bonster? Was it all teeth and spit or was a whole lot of hot tongue action?"

He could tell Stefan was quickly becoming aggravated, but that didn't kill his curiosity. Learning that Stefan had made out with Bonnie had been shocking to say the least and Kai was planning on milking that revelation for all it was worth.

Stefan stared at Kai stupidly. "Seriously? Are you that hard up for some action that you are standing here asking me to paint you a picture of me hooking up with Bonnie?"

Kai ignored Stefan's question and continued to ramble as he rose from his chair and began to walk in slow circles across the marble floor with a pensive look on his face.

"I must admit that finding out that you are the last person that I would have expected Bonnie to share a kiss with," the chatty heretic confessed as he spared Stefan a sly glance.

"Oh yeah? Why is that?" the carmel haired vampire drawled lazily as he stared up at the ceiling with his hands folded behind his head.

"Isn't it obvious?" he inquired, his bluish-gray eyes shining eagerly as he stared at the disinterested Ripper, "Bonnie is clearly in love with your brother."

Kai expected Stefan to express surprise by the revelation or even deny it, but what he didn't expect or even counted on was the brief and distinct flash of uneasiness that washed across Stefan's face.

The house suddenly became deadly quiet. The moans and growls that had previously filled the halls had faded and deep down, both vampires were secretly grateful for the reprieve.

"You should really stop while you are ahead," the older vampire warned quietly. "You don't know what the hell you are talking about."

"Really? Because, I had a front row seat to thier hot chemistry while I was in the prison world. They had that whole 'will they or won't they' thing going on. Things were pretty platonic in the beginning, but in the end, the sexual tension was unbearable," Kai licked his lips slyly as he folded his arms across his chest, " Damon stopped hiding the fact that he liked to openly leer at her, and Bonnie wasn't subtle when she stopped wearing bras and started wearing shorts that made her ass look incredible. I'm pretty sure if I didn't show up and throw their whole prison world for a loop, they would have probably banged it out," the heretic grinned as he wiggled his eyebrows mischievously.

"Here's the flaw in your twisted logic, Kai," Stefan smirked as he sat up a little straighter in his seat before starring the heretic directly in the eyes, "Damon and Bonnie are both wrapped tightly around Elena's little finger. Their loyalty towards her comes before anything and everyone, present company included." He chuckled before a slow and smug smirk stretched across his face. "Whatever they may or may not feel for one another, one thing is for certain. They will never act on it. So if I were you, I wouldn't hold your breath."

Kai shook his head disappointed as he stopped pacing and rubbed his forehead with a look of exasperation on his face.

"If he doesn't act on it, he is going to regret it. Trust me. I should know," he said softly with the hint of remorse in his voice, "When Bonnie and I were alone in the prison world, I had plenty of chances to have her. I could have taken her on that dirty floor in the cave after I shot her, at the hospital when we played a little game of cat in mouse in the halls. I was close to doing it when I had taken her to Oregon and fixed her dinner in my childhood home. I thought maybe hot sex would have been the perfect way to cap off that memorable day that we spent together, but instead of going through with it, I chickened out and stabbed her instead. Now I will always be left wondering what it would have been like if I would have just held her down and had my wicked way with her."

Stefan frowned as he watched a particularly disturbing look come across Kai's youthful face. He knew that there was literally no love lost when it came to Kai's contentious relationship with Bonnie, but the look in his hooded blue eyes revealed that beneath the hate and the rage that the heretic had for Bonnie, there was something else. Something dark, twisted and perverse and Stefan felt his stomach turn as he realized that he recognized that look. That was the look you get when you loathed someone so much that there was the primal urge to conquer them in every way imaginable. Mentally, emotionally, physically. There was a thin line between violence and lust when you were in a murderous state of mine, and the thought of Kai day dreaming about fucking Bonnie before killing her made his nostrils flare as his anger slowly began to rise to the surface.

"If you stare at me any harder, I might burst into flames," Kai joked lamely, "I know that it kind of sound a little rape-y, but is it really all that bad if she eventually starts to enjoy it?"

Just when Stefan thought that he couldn't be any more revulsed by Kai Parker, the little prick managed to raise the bar.

Suddenly Kai burst out laughing.

"I was totally kidding. God, you are so vulnerable. You should have seen the look on your face," he said amused.

"Why the hell are you even here? Stefan asked exsperated as his brow furrowed in confusion. "You got a get out hell free card. You should be a million miles away from Mystic Fall, yet you decided to team up with Sybil. It doesn't make any sense."

Kai gently chewed the inside of his cheek as he stared at the green eyed vampire coyly.

"The last time that I saw Bonnie and Damon, it didn't exactly end on a good note. At least not for me anyways. The reason why I chose to stick around is for revenge. I hear it's a dish best served cold," he said quietly, his face darkening noticeably.

"You should know from past experiances that Damon and Bonnie aren't so easy to kill. You tried it before and look where it got you," Stefan smirked.

"I am afraid that you misunderstood me, Stefan," Kai chuckled softly. "I have no intentions of killing either Bonnie or Damon. Where is the fun in a quick and merciful death? Keeping them alive means that they can suffer as much as I did when they condemned me to hell." Stefan frowned as he heard the venom dripping from Kai's words and the cold fury that reflected in his hardened blue eyes. "Death is too good for Bonnie and your brother. When I make them pay, the process will be very slow, painful and deliberate. By the time I am finished with them, they will be begging me for death."

Stefan matched Kai's angry gaze with one of his own as he slowly rose from the couch and walked over to where the other vampire was sitting. Despite his complicated relationship that he had with his brother and Bonnie, he didn't take to kindly to Kai making open and hostile threats towards them.

"You may have been fortunate to escpae hell, but don't try pressing your luck by coming after Damon or Bonnie," Stefan warned, his voice quiet and deceptively calm, "You've only seen what I am capable of when I am attached to my humanity. You really won't like what I am capable of when I know longer give about fuck about a gotdamn switch."

Kai kicked aside the chair that was sitting between them it make a loud clattering noise as it hit the floor. The two vampires stood toe to toe, and Stefan stared down his nose at the heretic who had the nerve to look smug despite the fact that Stefan had a slight height advantage over him.

"You forget who you are dealing with, Stefan. You may be the infamous Rippah, but I...I am something unlike this world has ever seen," Kai murmured huskily as he briefly stared at Stefan's lips, "I have murdered family members. I have taken out my entire coven. I escaped not only the Prison world, but I have escaped hell. I'm not afraid of you. In fact, if you were smart, you would be terrified of me. Completely and utterly terrified."

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

Their impending confrontation was interrupted by a sound that both men were all too familiar with.

"I know the pitter patter of that heartbeat anywhere," he whispered, his pale and handsome face filled with disbelief and apprehension, "She's here."

A flicker of excitement mixed with anxiety flashed across his face as he clenched his fist and forced himself to calm the emotions that was swirling inside of him like an out of untempered hurricane. There were things, objects and people that naturally repelled. Oil and water, dogs and cat, light and darkness; and then there were things that attracted, objects, and people together like the opposing ends of magnets, gold diggers to sugar daddies, crazy people to Florida. Kai liked to think that he and Bonnie was the latter. He was the crazy person, and Bonnie was the embodiment of the one state in the Union that should have been exiled decades ago.

As Kai begin to subconciously fix his disheveled shirt and nervously prepared for Bonnie's entry, Stefan was visibly irritated. Uttering an explicit curse under his breath, he turned his back on Kai and stabbed his fingers through his hair. His forest green eyes were large and wild, and his mind was racing a million miles a minute. It was obvious that she had found out about Enzo being held captive and as predicted, she had thrown all caution in the wind in the name of saving him. Inhaling sharply, he rolled his eyes as he silently cursed her stupidity while simultaneously wondering when she had become so foolish? She had to know that facing off with Sybil with no means to defend herself was basically a suicide mission. What exactly was the little witches plan? To approach Sybil and ask her nicely to let Enzo go?

"Bonnie-fucking-Bennett," he murmered weakly as he scrubbed his face with his hand before returning his gaze back towards the ceiling, "What the hell are you up to?"

A loud clap of thunder caused Bonnie to wince as she made her way up the driveway leading to the Lockwood Manor. The sound of the soles of her sneakers pavement echoed in her ear as she raced towards the porch trying to avoid the cold raindrops that was currently pelting down on her thunderstorm had come out of nowhere and while the backwoods roads in Mystic falls was dangerous during a late evening rainstorm, Bonnie was determined to not let anyone or anything get in the way of liberating Enzo from Sybil's custody. She felt the fine hair on the back of her neck stand up as her magic began to twirl furiously inside of her. She shuddered as she quietly reveled in the excitement she felt at the ability to connect with nature and her birthright as a witch. The sense of completion that she felt being reconnected to her magic left her feeling not only at peace but allowed her to cling to a level of confidence that she hadn't felt in quite some time. Ascending the steps leading to the porch, she inhaled deeply before reaching out and grabbing the door knob between her slender fingers and forcing her way inside of the house.

The first thing that she noticed when she walked into the house was that the place was a far cry from its former glory. The walks were dull and held cracks in their foundation, and the smell of mildew and rotted wood permeated the air causing her nose to wrinkle in disgust. There was a strange chill in the air that caused her anxiety to spike through the roof. The energy she felt triggered her Deja vu and she stopped walking as memories of the haunting vision that she had the night before came flooding through her head. She recalled the eerie warnings from Tyler, Anna, and Pastor Young. She remembered the blood on the floor and the broken bodies of Matt, Caroline and Ric. She swallowed deeply as she recalled the cold and callous words of Elena and the indifference in Stefan and Damon as they stood by the doppelganger's side. The dread and fear she felt was so intense that she felt her stomach flip and for a brief moment, she was afraid that she was going to vomit.

"Come on, Bonnie," she scolded herself silently, "Pull yourself together. Enzo is in trouble and he needs you right now."

Brushing the wet hair out of her face, she bit down on her bottom lip nervously as she approached the living room. Her eyes widened when her gaze fell upon the last person that she had expected to see.

"Stefan," she croaked, managing to swallow down the lump that had formed inside of her throat, "What are -" The words died on her lips as she spotted Kai staring at her with a smirk on his lips.

When Bonnie had walked through the front door of the Lockwood Manor, she had thought she would have been prepared for whatever she would come across, but she had been wrong. She narrows her eyes before stepping a couple of steps back into the hallway and glaring at Kai with unbridled contempt shadowing her pretty face. The raindrops that were clinging to her hair was falling slowly to the ground and the goosebumps that was dancing across her damp skin wasn't due to the coolness of the air in the room. It was because of the violent and demented heretic who was starring down at her with a dark smile on his lips. Closing her eyes, she forced herself to keep her emotions in check. His face triggered every single terrible thing he had down to her while they had been trapped on the Other Side, and the memoires crashing over her made her want to use every ounce of magic that was inside of her to destroy him, but she knew that her vengeance was not a priority. Saving Enzo was the only thing that mattered.

"Bonnie," Kai finally spoke, breaking the tense and very uncomfortable silence that had fallen between them.

"Kai," she replied neutrally as she stared down at her feet unable to bring herself to look at him in that moment.

Forcing back the terror that was threatning to paralyze her, she finally found the courage to enter the room. As she took a step forward, she grunted quietly when her body bounced off the invisible barrier like a ping pong ball.

"Oops," Kai chuckled pretending to look bashful, "Pesky boundary spell."

 _"Incendia,_ " Bonnie growled forcefully.

Almost instantly, six candles in the room roared to life causing haunting shadows to bounce across the walls in the room. Stefan eyes widened in surprise. The last time he had checked, Bonnie had been detached from her identity as a witch. Since when did she become a practicing servant of nature and how did she get her magic back? What the hell happened between the time he had left her sleeping soundly at her home up to the point where she was standing in front of him practically overflowing with magical energy? Before he could figured out what question to direct at her first, Bonnie began to mumble softly in Latin as she walked towards Kai, her eyes never leaving his face.

 _"Merabas Hic Libatal, Confremun Signas. Omus Quisa Tentum Exalis, Merabas Hic Libatal. Confremun Signas. Omus Quisa Tentum Exalis_ ," she chanted quietly.

Kai had the means and the opportunity to stop Bonnie from breaking down the barrier that he had put in place, but truth be told, he wasn't interested in engaging in magical warfare with her. He much rather watched as she performed her spell because if he was to be honest with himself, watching Bonnie wield magic was something that always made his lower half roar to life.

Seconds passed before Bonnie stopped chanting and her eyes slowly open.

"Nicely done, Bonster. Looks like you havent' lost your touch," he murmured approvingly as he approached her slowly.

She stiffened as he towered over her with a mischievous look in his eyes.

"I see that your hair has grown longer," he noticed as he smiled at her awkwardly, "It looks nice."

Bonnie blinked owlishly as she stared at him speechless. It wasn't Kai's random compliment that had her loss for words. It was the way he was standing there acting like he had never been a problematic force in her life. The way he was starring at her was more than a little disturbing. His head was tilted slightly to the right, his mouth was turned up into a shy smile, and his eyes that were usually filled with hate and murder was now reflecting something that was dangerously close to fondness. It reminded her of their time back in the prison world where he would stare at her with that same expression that had once made her blush and Damon uneasy.. That look he had given her was before she had learned the chilling truth behind his imprisonment. Before she had discovered what a cold blooded killer he was.

"I know what you are thinking," Kai revealed in a sing song voice as he inched his way closer to her, "You are thinking of all the reasons why you hate me. It's written all over your face. You could never disguise your hatred for me."

Bonnie shuddered as stopped just inches away from her. Lifting her head, she stared into his grayish blue eyes filled with mischief and playfulness..

"You have no idea how much I have missed you," he said softly as he reached down and brushed his knuckles lightly across her cheek.

Stefan made a move that would have efficiently ripped Kai's arm from his body, but he halted abruptly when he felt a weird charge of energy surge through the atmosphere. Judging from the startled cry from Kai's lips, he felt too, but before he could react, Bonnie stretched out her arm and a pulse of magic sent the heretic flying across the room against the wall where he was stretched out crucifixion style.

"Touch me again, and you will die," she warned coldly, with unadulterated hate in her glowing moss green eyes.

She expected Kai to be furious or even attempt to retaliate against her attack, but she was surprised when he started laughing. She released her hold on him and subconsciously took a step closer to Stefan who was visibly seething and looked ready to dish out his own particular brand of violence.

"This is just like old times, isn't it Bonster? You can't stand there and tell me that you haven't missed this," he sighed contently as he brushed the scattered dry wall remains off his sleeves before advancing towards her slowly. "I saw you earlier in town when you and Damon found the little gift that I left behind. I have to admit that I didn't expect you to make poor little Tiffany a member of the blood sucking community, but that's what I love about my favorite witch-vampire duo. You and Damon never fail to surprise me. It's what makes our relationship so exciting."

Bonnie was saved from responding by Stefan manuevering his body between the witch and the heretic successfully obscuring Kai's view of Bonnie.

"Ignore him. He's just trying to get inside your head," he warned softly.

Bonnie inhaled sharply before looking up at him with a frown marring her pretty features.

"The last time that I saw you, you were crashing on my couch," she said warily as she folded her arms across her petite chest. "What are you doing here with this low life?"

"Hey," Kai protested weakly, "I take exception to that."

The witch and the vampire pointedly ignored the heretic as they continued to stare at one another. He could see suspicion written all across her face, and he couldn't blame her. Finding him here with her worse enemy wasn't exactly a good look and he knew that it was best if he gave her an explanation before she assumed the worse.

"Earlier this evening, Damon told me that Sybil was holding Enzo hostage. In exchange for his safe return, Sybil wanted Damon to hand Elena over," Stefan paused briefly. He knew that Bonnie wasn't going to be thrilled about what he done, but he hoped that she would understand that his heart had been in the right place. "Bonnie, I need you to know that I'm here because I did what my brother couldn't. I did what was necessary."

Bonnie followed Stefan's gaze towards the couch across the living room and felt her blood run cold and her mouth grow dry.

"Oh my god. Elena," Bonnie cried as he rushed to the doppleganger's side as fast as her feet could carry her. As she desperately examined Elena from head to toe, Stefan couldn't help but feel a stab of irritation as he observed the Bennett witch quietly. Bonnie was handling the doppelganger like she was so precious and fragile. Like if anything bad was to happen to her, she would be heartbroken and fall apart. When was Bonnie going to get it through her thick skull that Elena was just as expendable as everyone else walking the gotdamn planet? When was she going to learn that it was okay to put her own needs ahead of Elena Gilbert?

As Bonnie turned away from the magically comatose doppleganger and stared at him coldly, Stefan couldn't help but roll his eyes. He knew Bonnie long enough to know that whenever she got that particular judgey look on her face, a lecture was soon to follow. More often than not, her disapproving words would be directed at Damon, but hey...there was a first time for everything, right?

"Stefan, how could you?" she whispered in horror.

Stefan's face twisted in confusion. "That's a really weird way of saying thank you, Bonnie. I gave her up so that you could have Enzo back. I thought getting him back would be something that you wanted."

Bonnie recoiled as if he had just spit acid in her face.

"If you knew me at all, you would have known that this is the last thing that I would ever want," she snapped.

Stefan clenched his teeth trying to remain calm, but his patience was quickly wearing thin.

"I'm sorry. I assumed the last thing you wanted was for Sybil to murder your little boyfriend," he said evenly.

"Believe it or not, there are other ways to keep Enzo from becoming a corpse without delivering Elena into the hands of that psychopath," she exploded angrily.

"Sometimes the most difficult problems have the simplest solution," he growled.

Bonnie stared at Stefan in complete and utter disbelief. She couldn't believe that he was standing there discussing his decision to trade Elena and Enzo as if he was talking about trading baseball cards. She stared at him closely hoping to find some signs of remorse or some indication that on some level, he felt what he did was crossing a line, but she felt disappointment as she saw nothing but cool indifference etched deeply into his handsome, pale face. She knew that Stefan had carried some resentment for Elena for how things had ended between them, but she never thought that his anger and bitterness towards her would lead him to do something so drastic. A part of her was aware that he had done it for her benefit so that Enzo wouldn't be harmed, but she refused to let that justify taking liberties with Elena's freedom and life.

Starring up at him, she felt her eyes grow wet with tears.

"If something was to happen to her, Damon would never forgive you. Do you despise Elena so much that you would destroy the only meaningful relationship that you have left in your life?" she asked quietly.

Stefan shrugged bored. "If getting rid of Elena means Damon no longer has to be her puppet, it will be worth it."

Bonnie gasped at the cold resolution that she heard in the carmel haired vampire's voice. She knew that his humanity was hanging precariously in the balance, but she couldn't believe that he could be this ruthless and cold blooded. She always knew Damon was the spiteful one, but seeing Stefan in this light made her realized that he wasn't the guy she once believed him to be. The hurt she had felt seconds earlier suddenly flared into anger.

"Do you even here yourself? Do you know how callous you sound?" Bonnie cried as she shoved him, "How can you be so cold and calculating? My god, Stefan. You use to be in love with her!"

She went to push him again, but stopped when he grabbed her wrists and pulled her body flushed against hers. Stefan smiled darkly and the malice that flashed across his handsome face Bonnie's blood run cold. It was only in that moment that she realized that assaulting a Rippah who was barely anchored humanity to his wasn't the brightest thing that she had ever done.

As he towered over her menicingly, Bonnie could swear that she could feel the evil and contempt radiating from his pores. Not only was it was alarming, it was downright terrifying.

"Love makes people weak, Bonnie," Stefan warned softly, his warm breath fanning across her lips." The sooner you realize that, the better off your life will be."

"I don't know what's worse," she confessed quietly as she curled her fingers around his wrists before gently removing her hands from his grasp, "The fact that you actually believe that love makes people weak or the fact that you are so willing to live your life without it."

Stefan's face twisted and for a moment there as a brief flash of pain in his forest green eyes, but it disappear as quickly as it appeared.

"Enzo is capable of hurting you. You would think you learned your lesson when he poisoned you and nearly got you killed," he reminded with a cruel edge in his voice.

Bonnie shook her head sadly.

"Enzo made a mistake. I forgave him. That is what love is about. It's about forgiveness. It's about trust and above all it's about endurance. Enzo and I have been through a lot, but at the end of the day, if he is ever in trouble, I will show up for him, just like I know that he will always show up for me. As long as you continue to cling to your painful past and use Elena as an excuse as to why you can't move forward, you will never be able open to truly loving someone like I love Enzo and he loves me."

Stefan would have laughed if the conviction that was reflecting in her eyes in that moment wasn't so pathetic. Enzo was in another woman's bed, and yet Bonnie was standing on her pulpit draped in all of her self righteousness preaching about love and loyalty? He would have happily thrown Enzo's current activities in her face, but he decided to keep his mouth shut. If Bonnie thought her relationship was the stuff of legends and floated on cloud nine surrounded by rainbow and unicorns, he would let her cling to her foolish naivety.

"Fine, Bonnie. Do what you want. Put on your cape, and go save your boyfriend," he said frostily, "I'm out."

Bonnie watched as he stormed out the front door. A part of her felt a little bad for being harsh, but she was angry with Stefan for endangering Elena. Pushing aside her confrontation with Stefan, she marched out of the living room and made her way towards the staircase so that she could search the house and locate Enzo.

As she slowly made her way up the stairs, she felt a sense of dread as she heard the distinct sounds of a masculine moan. She immediately registered the moans belonging to Enzo. Was Sybil torturing him? Was he in pain? Suddenly, she felt an overwhelming amount of guilt. She had been so busy verbally sparring with Stefan when her first priority should have been to make sure Enzo was safe.. She decided that now wasn't the time to internally scold herself for allowing herself to be emotional and needed to focus on her main objection and that was getting Enzo out of Sybil's clutches before she could inflict any more pain onto him.

Arriving at the top of the staircase, she arrived at the Master bedroom and quietly let herself inside. The room was dark and carried the heavy scent of blood and sex. As her eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness, her gaze drifted over to the bed, and she suddenly felt all the air deflate from lungs making it extremely difficult to breathe. Enzo was naked and lying on his bed with his eyes closed tightly and his mouth parted allowing moans to escape through his lips. Straddling his lap was Sybil and she was riding him slowly with her hands planted firmly on his muscular chest. Her face was turned upward towards the ceiling wearing an expression on her face that was eerily similar to the dark haired vampire beneath her. On the nightstand next to the bed, was a vase and inside were three beautiful crisp, white lilies.

"Oh god, Enzo," Sybil murmured, "Go deeper."

Once again, Bonnie felt herself being hit with a sense of deju vu' as she recalled this particular scene in her vision. In the vision she had been clueless as to the identities of the two lovers who had been passionately screwing inside of the bed due to the fact that their bodies and face had been barely visible beneath the pale moonlight. It was in that moment that she realized that the vision had warned her that Enzo and Sybil would become lovers, but she hadn't figured out until it was too late. Her heart twisted in her chest and her knees grew weak as she nearly crumpled beneath the waves of devastation that was falling heavily on her shoulders. She had made a deal with the devil to get her magic back to save Enzo because she thought he was in danger. Now she was seeing that she had been deceived and she didn't know what was true and what was not anymore.

"Sometimes life comes at you hard, Bonnie. Some of the most purest of hearts have had weak moments and have fallen into temptation. No one is perfect."

Anna's words from her vision echoed in the darkest corners of her mind, and before she could stop herself, she cried out.

"Enzo."

The emotional outbust caused Enzo and Sybil to go completly still. Enzo turned his head towards Bonnie and a look of shock and pure horror flashed across his handsome pale face. When their eyes met, Bonnie could literally feel her rage pulsating through her entire body.

"Fuck."

The raven haired vampire mutttered the explict curse quietly and Bonnie couldn't tell if it was because he had just caught in the dirty act of betrayal or if he had just actually climaxed. The latter made her sick to her stomach, and she had to swallow several large gulps of air to keep from vomiting. She watched as Sybil reluctantly unmounted him before walking across the room and slowly covering herself with a black silk robe.

"Bonnie, please," Enzo choked desperatly as he scrambled out of bed and shoved his legs inside of his black jeans, "I can explain."

Bonnie bit down on her bottom lip so hard that it was dangerously close to bleeding. It was the only thing she could think of to prevent herself from losing control of her emotions. She was livid, devastated and deeply wounded but she would be damned if she gave the smirking siren the satisfaction of seeing her any kind of pain.

Caroline told me that you had been taken hostage," she started, her voice quiet and trembling, "Cade showed me what Kai was doing to you. How do you go from being tortured to screwing the person who supposedly have taken you captive?"

Enzo opened his mouth to explain but Sybil cut him off abruptly. "I gave Enzo a pretty simple choice. He could leave with his virtue in tact while I dealt with Elena how I pleased, or he could save her from a certain death by granting me one last proverbial romp in the hay. I guess you can say that your beloved screwed me for noble reasons."

Bonnie flinched and she clenched her fists into tight fist.

"What do you mean one last proverbial romp in the hay?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"Oh he didn't tell you?" Sybil gasped feigning innocence "This is not the first time that Enzo and I come together in a biblical sense." She sashayed across the room with her perky small breasts nearly exposed inside of the robe hanging loosely over her shoulders. "Those four months you spent crying and longing for your precious Enzo, he and I were joined together at the flesh. I could go on and on about all the different ways he bought me pleasure, but being a recipient of his generous skills as a lover, I'm pretty sure you already know all the ways that he is capable of bringing you to the brink of ecstasy."

"You're lying," Bonnie sneered as she glowered hatefully at the smug siren, "You manipulated him. Enzo would never touch you willingly and even if he did somehow suffer some major lapse in judgement, he wouldn't keep something like that from me."

"Just like Damon didn't keep the fact that I had Enzo in my possession for hours?" she giggled shaking her head before staring at her sympathetically, "While it's clear that you have the loyalty of Enzo and Damon, it would seem that they both have a dirty little habit of keeping important secrets from you."

Her smug observation made the tips of Bonnie's ears burn and it took everything inside of her not to fly across the room and snatch Sybil by the roots of her hair. She was momentarily distracted when Enzo placed himself between her and Sybil with a apologetic look on his handsome face. She stared at his chest covered with a sheen of sweat and swallowed deeply as she recalled that Sybil hands had been all over him moments earlier.

"Don't," she warned, her voice soft yet deadly, "Don't you dare touch me."

"Bonnie, I need you to listen to me." Enzo's voice was so soft and pleading that Bonnie felt a lump of tears form inside of her throat. She shook her head and tried to take a step back away from him, but he decided to take the risk of touching her by grabbing her hands and holding her securely in place. "The first couple of times that I slept with Sybil, my humanity was off. I wasn't tapped into any of my emotions including love. There were so many times that I wanted to tell you, but whenever I tried, all I could think about was the hurt and the pain that my secret would cause you and I didn't want to have to watch you go through that."

"Sounds like you kept the truth from her because you were too cowardly to deal with the consequences of your actions," Kai said bluntly.

Bonnie tensed. She hadn't realized that Kai had followed her into the bedroom until he decided to break his silence.

"Stay out of this," Enzo warned glaring at heretic murderously.

Kai pinched his fingers and ran them across his lips like he was zipping his mouth shut. Enzo spared him one last withering look before returning his attention back to Bonnie who eyes were full of angry tears threatening to spill at any given minute.

"I need you to understand that there is absolutely nothing between Sybil and I. I am in love with you. I feel nothing for her. I slept with her because I had no choice," he said desperately.

Bonnie swallowed deeply. "So you slept with her because she had mind control over you?"

Enzo inhaled sharply before shaking his head reluctantly.

"I slept with her because not doing so meant that she would kill Elena, and I know how much she means to you. I couldn't let that happen," he said quietly.

Bonnie eyes widened startled. Enzo had slept with Sybil to save Elena's life? It sounded completely ridiculous and far fetched, but she knew that he was telling the truth. She wanted to feel appreciative that he did what he did to protect Elena, but she could bring herself to feel a single ounce of gratitude for him paying the price for Elena's life by whoring himself out to a woman that he had slept with before. She knew that it wasn't the time to express her anger and outrage that he had lied to her about his nasty pass with Sybil, but she wasn't about to throw herself into his arms and act like all was forgiven either.

"You wanted this to happen," Bonnie stated suddenly. "You knew that I would come for Enzo and you wanted me to catch you in bed with him because you knew that it would hurt me."

"What hurts you the most, Bonnie?" Sybil inquired curiously as she slowly moved closer to the trembling witch, "The fact that I screwed your beloved, or the fact that he very much enjoyed it?"

Crack! The sound of Bonnie's hand meeting the side of Sybil's face echoed throughout the room. The siren giggled as her head slowly turned and her eyes locked with the Bennett witch's. The look on her face was positively sinister.

"I really hope that isn't the best you have, Bonnie. I would hate to think that you are as weak as you are pathetic," she murmured amused as she used her right index finger to wipe the ribbon of blood that was produced from her split lip.

"You have no idea what I am capable of," Bonnie smiled coldly. Moving slowly, she removed her jacket and tossed it on the bed. She was going to enjoy handing Sybil her ass.

Before Bonnie could go on the offense, Sybil released a psychic attack that caused Enzo to fly back into the wall before grabbing the sides of hid head and groaning in discomfort.. The agony was so intense, that Bonnie's vision blurred and her knees buckled. She was assaulted with images of her crying next to her grams on her death bed, her holding Abby's hand as she transitioned from former witch to vampire, screaming brokenly as Silas slit her father's throat leaving him to die a slow and excruciating threat. Just as she was struggling to force those excruciating memories out of her head, she was slammed with the moment she had decided to end it all while in the Prison World. It had been the only moment in her life where she had experienced utter defeat and despair. Sybil was using her psychic ability to manipulate the emotions connected to some of the most painful events in her pasts. She felt hot tears stream down her cheeks as she pressed her hands over her ears and screamed as she felt her mind and her psyche being slowly ripped apart.

Suddenly the pain subsided and Bonnie peeled an eye open to find Stefan with his hands wrapped tightly around Sybil's throat. The joy and relief that she felt realizing that Stefan had returned to help her nearly made her burst into tears. Unfortunately, her gratitude had to be placed on hold as Sybil turned the intensity of her attack onto Stefan who mysteriously began to cough up water as he fell to his knees.

' _She's making him relive his trauma of drowning repeatedly in the safe_ ,' Bonnie came to the internal realization as she slowly made her way to her feet.

"Kai, won't you be a dear and take the trash out?" Sybil purred sweetly as she twirled a piece of hair around her long slender finger.

The Gemeni heretic didn't need futher encouragement. Moving swiftly, he grabbed Stefan by the collar of his jacket and both men went propelling out of the nearest window. Bonnie felt her concern for Stefan spike, but she knew that she had to focus on the present danger if she wanted to get out of the house alive. Turning to Enzo, she stared at him pleadingly.

"Grab Elena and get the hell out of here," Bonnie cried desperately.

"I'm not leaving you here alone, love," he started.

"This isn't a debate. I'm not asking you to do this. I'm telling you to do this, now go!" Bonnie snapped harshly.

A hurt look shadowed his face before he turned and disappeared from the room. Bonnie felt bad about biting his head off, but she really didn't have time to argue with him. She couldn't take on Sybil without knowing that Enzo and Elena were safe and sound.

Sybil rolled her eyes and yawned lazily. "He can take the doppleganger and run, but he cannot hide. Once I am through with you, I will hunt them down and then I will kill them."

Bonnie made a move towards her when she felt something hard beneath the sole of her shoe. Frowning, she bent down and picked up a strange looking band that was practically oozing with magic. It didn't take her too long to figure out that it was a magical artifact, and judging by the look of horror on Sybil's face, it was something quite powerful. Bonnie found it strange that Sybil would have removed it, but she smiled bitterly when she realized that it must have come off during the explicit activities that the siren had been engaged in with Enzo.

"Maybe this is something you should have kept on while you were busy getting naked for my boyfriend," Bonnie smirked as she observed the ugly bracelet before putting it on her wrist. Sybil felt a twinge of fear as she realized that she was no longer capable of causing the Bennett witch any harm. She was preparing to try to make a run for it, but she stopped when she noticed a familiar piece of jewelry adorning Bonnie's right ring finger.

"That ring," Sybil gasped through her pain, "Where did you get it?"

Bonnie lifted her right hand and stared at the odd piece of jewelry and smiled lightly. "Cade gave it to me. He was more than happy to give me the means to defeat you. I guess someone isn't as special as they thought. How does it feel that someone you have spent centuries devoted to decided that you were expendable."

Her words hit Sybil like a sharp blade through the gut. "Screw you, Bonnie. You may be smug now and think that you are so superior, but you are stupid to believe that Cade actually cares about you. He is just using you and when he gets what he want, you will end up just like me."

"See, that's where you are wrong, Sybil. Cade doesn't control me. Unlike you, I am not easily manipulated and so insecure that I volunteer as tribute to be a useful tool for someone who feels too self important to do their own dirty work."

Sybil made a move to use a psychic attack against the young witch, but gasped startled when she found that she was unable to move from the spot where she was standing.

As Bonnie began to mumble softly with her eyes closed, the ground beneath her feet began to vibrate and ancient Latin words that she hadn't uttered in years began to tumble across her tongue.

"What's happening? What the hell are you doing?" Sybil snapped agitated.

"I'm basically showing you what happens when you screw around with a Bennett witch, Sybil," Bonnie explained calmly as she took another step towards the nervous siren, "You really should learn not to put your hands and other body parts where they don't belong. Did you really think that there wouldn't be any consequences to your actions?" the green eyed woman inquired softly as she tightened the invisible grip she had on Sybil's windpipe. The psychic demon made gurgling noises as she clawed at her flawless throat in a desperate attempt to gather air back into her lungs, but failed miserably. Her brown eyes were filled with apprehension and tears as she convulsed violently against the wall. Bonnie watched her struggle with a look of sadness on her face. If it had been anyone else in her shoes, they would have been more than happy to revel in Sybil's pain and discomfort. After all, the woman had taken pride in screwing the man Bonnie loved. This woman was working with Kai, the bane of her existence. This woman had endangered Elena just so she could get her claws into Damon. However, Bonnie felt something more deeper than the anger and sadness that came with the territory of witnessing the her beau betraying her with another woman. Bonnie felt. pity.

"It only occurred to me just now that you never known what it was like to be loved and adored by someone who possessed free will. You spent so much time wielding your power and manipulating affections that you never stop to think that maybe, if you let yourself be vulnerable and open, maybe someone could actually give their heart to you. I want to believe that there is someone or something walking this planet that is capable of loving you, but as I stand here and look at you, I now know that you truly are a monster, and everyone knows that you can't love a monster." Bonnie's words were so gentle and sympathetic that it made a lone tear trail down Sybil's cheek. "Even your own sister despises you. You walk around like you are this goddess among mortals, but the truth is that you are nothing more than an insecure woman who is the devil's play think you can somehow make Damon care about you in the way that you pretend to care about you, but the truth is that you are the last person on Earth that he would ever love. I want to be angry and hate you. I really do, but all I can feel is sorry for you. "

Without any warning, Bonnie released the invisible hold she had on the siren and watched as she slumped to the ground breathing erratically.

Bonnie inhaled sharply as she stabbed her fingers through her hair. She had faced down Sybil and won. She should have been excited. She should have felt triumphant and relieved, but all she felt was sad and exhausted. She wanted to rest and put the horrors of the past few days behind her. As she turned to exit the room, the sound of soft haunting laughter made her stop dead in her tracks. Slowly, she turned around and faced the siren who was bleeding, broken and on her last breath.

"You can leave me here to bleed out, but I am immortal," she cackled weakly as she glared coldly at Bonnie, "I will come back and I will not rest until Damon is mine and there is nothing that you can do about it."

Bonnie waved her hand slightly to the left causing Sybil to go flying violently into the glass mirror across the room. As she laid gasping and bleeding in a pile of shattered fragments of glass, Bonnie stared down at her with a look on her dark face that was so cold, that it caused Sybil to shiver involuntarily. "I may have failed to protect Enzo from you, but it will be a cold day in hell before I allow you to manipulate your way into his is your final warning. Stay the hell away from Damon."

Sybil narrowed her eyes and stared up at the Bennett witch hatefully. "It's shocking the lengths that you are willing to go to keep me and Damon from being together. It's almost like your feelings for him is more than platonic."

"My feelings," Bonnie spat, "Are none of your concerned. You are not going to be with Damon because he doesn't belong to you. There is only one woman in this world that he loves and as much as you try to manipulate him and insert yourself into his lives, he will never be yours. You can die and come back to life as many times as you like, but you will always be alone and Damon...he will never love you."

"Go to hell," Sybil sputtered as she struggled to sit up but was forced back down by Bonnie's magic.

"You first." With that final cold sentiment, Bonnie whirled on her heels and made her way out of the bedroom and seconds later, she was out of the house.

"Incendia."

The old Manor immediatly caught on fire and Bonnie felt the heat of the flames lick at her heels as she walked away. As she made her way down the driveway, she barely flinched as she heard the floorboards on the second floor collapse and the windows bust causing glass to rain down over the wet lawn. Once she was a safe distance away from the Manor, she slowly turned around and quietly admired her handy work. She knew that Sybil would survive the housefire and come back to life more vengeful and spiteful than ever. She knew that Kai was probably out there lurking in the dark watching and waiting for the moment she let her guard down so that he could strike her down when she least expected. She knew that burning the Lockwood manor down to the ground was pointless in the grand scheme of things, but watching it burn made her feel like she was control in the middle of never ending chaos. It made her feel powerful despite the fact that things had taken place that had been out of her that was the same feeling that Elena had gotten when she had burned down her childhood home after learning that Jeremy had been killed in Nova Scotia during their dealings with Silas.

A small groan caught her attention, snapping her out of her silent musing. Turning around, her gaze fell upon Stefan who was leaning against the hood of his Porshe with one hand pressed against his stomach and a pained expression on his face.

"Stefan?" Bonnie murmured worried, "Are you okay?"

"I'm peachy," he grunted through clenched teeth.

Bonnie frowned as she noticed Stefan's black shirt soaked and heavy with blood. His brow was dripping with sweat and after getting a closer look, she notice a piece of his femur had ripped through his jeans. What the hell did Kai do to him?

"Looks like I'm not the only one who was wounded," she murmered as she lifted the hem of his shirt to expose a deep gash across his gut.

Stefan waved off her concern as the corner of his lip turned into a dismissive sneer. "Kai isn't as tough as he thinks he is. He just managed to scratch me. Next time he won't get that lucky."

"You should have left when you had the chance," she scolded while glaring at him.

The vampire in question flashed his canines wickedly as he hobbled closer to her, closing the distance between them. His lungs felt like they were on fire, his legs was broken in several places and his vision was slightly blurred, but he was doing his best to look nonchalant and unbothered. "I know but I do stupid things every now and then. Deal with it."

Ignoring his weak attempt at bravado, she curled her fingers around the hem of his shirt and slowly lifted it up to reveal a deep and nasty laceration on across his midsection. She felt her stomach turn as she caught a glimpse of what she assumed was his smaller intestines that was being barely contained inside of the gruesome wound.

Bonnie blinked owlishly. "That's more than a scratch. I can clearly see white meat."

As she made a move to examine him closer, he gently grabbed her wrists and pulled her hand away from the deep cut before lowering his t shirt and leveling her with a patient gaze. Bonnie frowned and removed her hand from his grip with a annoyed look on her pretty face.

"You need my help," she said, speaking to him like he was a small and insolent child.

"You just got your magic back," he reminded casually, "Do you really think it's a good idea to over exert yourself? After all, you expelled a lot of magic facing out with Sybil before you burned an entire house down and left it in ashes."

As much as she hated to admit it, Stefan was right to express concern about further use of her magic. The truth was that she was exhausted and doing a healing spell would take more energy than she currently possessed at the moment. She knew that if she didn't find a way to help heal him, he would go out and find some innocent victim to feed on and that's the last thing she wanted.

"Although I find your sudden concern for my well being oddly sweet, I don't need you to tell me my limits. I know just how far I can go when it comes to pushing myself," she said exasperated, "Besides, there is no need for you to go hunting down Thumper in the middle of the night when you have a source that is both human and willing. Besides, we both know that you wouldn't have been hurt if you hadn't tried to help me out, so the least I can do is help heal you."

Stefan studied her closely as he watched her as she lift her hand and made a slicing motion in the air with four of her fingers. He watched mystified as he she began to bleed freely from the self inflicted wound in her neck.

She saw the baffled expression on his face and she smiled sheepishly.

"The last time that I was bitten by a Salvatore vampire, it kinda hurt like hell. Call me crazy, but I wanted to skip past the whole 'fang ripping flesh' thing, and get straight to the point," she confessed softly.

Stefan could see the flicker of fear in her moss green eyes and he swallowed deeply. He remembered that fateful night in the woods all too well. It had been Bonnie's first negative experience with vampires, and unfortunately, it hadn't been her last. He would like to have think that she came a long way since that night. He knew for a fact that she had fed from Damon several times when she had been injured, and he could only assume that since she was romantically involved with a vampire that blood letting took place during intercourse, but despite all of that, she was still afraid. It only occurred to him that maybe she wasn't afraid of vampires in general. Knowing that he had a past as a dangerous and violent Ripper, maybe she was just scared of what he was capable of doing if he lost control.

"I will be as gentle as possible," he promised as he lightly ran his thumb across her pulse point.. He smiled before adding, "You can even create a safe word to make me stop if that makes you feel more comfortable."

Bonnie felt her lips twitch as she fought hard not to smile. "Stop being creepy and let's get this over with. If your guts fall out, I will throw up and that won't be pleasant for either one of us."

He pressed his mouth against her neck and the first pull of blood was like heroin straight to the vein. Her potent type mixed with magic was so delicious and potent that he felt his manhood roar to life causing an uncomfortable strain inside of his pants. A soft moan of discomfort escaped her lips and it took every ounce of self control that he had to keep from removing his mouth from her neck and planting it firmly against hers. Despite the fact that she was covered with blood, ash and sweat, she was still incredibly hot. If he was a man without a sliver of honor, it would have been so easy for him to take advantage of her in the sedated state that she was in. After the heartache and drama she had experienced that evening, she was so vulnerable and fragile, that she probably would had let him. The thought made him squirm as a bulge begin to form in his pants.

Stefan's ears detected the sound of her heartbeat beginning to decrease rapidly and he knew that it was time for him to pull away. After taking one last, and rather generous, gulp of her blood, he removed his mouth away from the bleeding wound on her neck. Her eyes were hooded and her mouth was parted as if she had been sedated.

"Hey, are you alright?" Concerned seeped into his voice as he asked concerned as he cupped her face inside of his large cheeks were warm and flushed.

"I'm good. Just tired," she admitted sluggishly as she swayed dangerously in his arms.

Damnit, Stefan swore quietly. He had been so enthralled in the taste of her blood that he hadn't realized that he had taken more than he should have. Biting down on his wrists, he used his free hand to cradle the back of her neck before bringing the bloodied wound towards her lips. He was amused and exasperated when she wrinkled her nose and pulled away.

"No. I don't need your blood. I'll be fine," she mumbled trying to wiggle out of his grasp.

"Fine," he sighed, "I guess we are doing this the hard way."

Before Bonnie could even have the chance to blink, Stefan bit into his wrists allowing his mouth to fill with blood. When he was satisfied with the amount that he collected, he cupped the sides of Bonnie's face and sealed his mouth tightly over hers. A small squeak of surprise escaped the back of her throat as she struggled to process the sudden intrusion of Stefan's tongue and his blood inside of her mouth. As his essence made its way down her throat, she immediately felt her vitals beginning to stabilize and the self inflicted wound on her neck began to heal. As she felt herself regaining her strength, she knew that it would be best if she pulled away, but she didn't. There was something so possessive yet so tender about the way his tongue expertly explore the inside of her eager mouth that made all of her doubt and hesitation melt away. Tonight had been one of the most painful nights of her life, but in that moment she didn't feel any of the agony or hurt that she had felt earlier when she had walked in to find Enzo buried deep inside of Sybil. With Stefan kissing her hungrily, and she responding eagerly to the way his hands were currently exploring her body, all she felt was relieved. Relieved that someone cared enough to comfort her. Relieved that she didn't have to deal with this nightmare alone. Relieved that she was in the arms of a man who put her needs first and came back to save her when he didn't have any reason to.

"Fuck,"Stefan growled hoarsly as he tangled his fingers through her wet locks and walked her backwards until her back was pressed against the hood of his Porshe. He had only gotten a brief taste of her during their run in at the pageant and she tasted more sweeter than he had remembered. Her lips were pillowy and soft, and the fact that she had his blood and her own on her tongue created a unique taste. A taste that Stefan was pretty certain that he could addicted to if he wasn't careful. As their tongues clashed in a battle for dominance, he felt the tips of her manicured fingers grip his hair roughly as their kissing became more passionate causing her to gasps sweetly. Unfortunately for the vampire, he knew that Bonnie's lungs could only take so much from being deprived of oxygen, so he swept the inside of her mouth with his tongue for one final, greedy taste before reluctantly pulling away.

As thier lips parted briefly, Bonnie was horrified when a soft sob escaped her slightly swollen mouth. It was only when she felt that wetness on her cheeks and the salt on her lips that realized that she had been crying. Embarrassed, she made a move to escape Stefan's embrace, but she was surprised when he held her firmly in place. Capturing her chin between his index finger and thumb, he tilted her head back so that he could look directly in her tear filled eyes. It amazed him how someone who could wield magic, take down an powerful immortal and managed to go through hell relatively unscathed was easily broken down by a man that Stefan honestly felt wasn't worthy of being with her in the first place. He knew that voicing that particular opinion would only make her feel worse, so he decided to table that conversation for another time. Instead of saying what was on his mind, he decided to go another route and say what was on his undead heart.

"You are one of the strongest people I have ever known, Bonnie. You don't have to be ashamed to cry. You are allowed to be vulnerable. You are allowed to feel things. Being connected to your emotions is what makes you human," he murmured as his thumb softly stroked her trembling bottom lip, "It's what makes you so fucking beautiful."

A fleeting smile flashed across her face and before she could rationalize that what she was about to do was an insanely bad idea, she closed the distance between them and recaptured his mouth once more. Stefan was completely caught off guard and stumbled backwards a few step, but he quickly regained his bearings. Something inside of him told him that was wrong and that he should stop, but he rebelled against the sound of his conscience defiantly. The old Stefan would have never taken advantage of Bonnie while she was fragile and vulnerable. The old Stefan would not have allowed his hands to caress places on the little witches body that he had no business touching, but he wasn't that man anymore. He was someone who was greedily swallowing every single delicious moan and whimper that escaped Bonnie's mouth and he was definitely not going to stand there and pretend to feel bad about it.

Stefan thought that he could keep control over the situation and exercise enough discretion to keep things from going further, but that all nearly went out of the window when he felt bodies fingers clumsily brush over the erection trapped inside of his jeans. It sent a jolt straight to his balls and for a moment, he let the beast inside of him rear it's ugly head. His fangs descended and slightly punctured her tongue causing her to pull away startled.

"I'm sorry," he panted, his face dark with desire and hunger, "I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay," she reassured him quickly as she struggled to catch her own breath.

He licked his lips and his eyes locked with the young witch who seemed somewhat disoriented. She opened her mouth in an effort to say something, but then her eyes closed and she collapsed against his chest. For a brief moment, he was alarmed, but when he felt her chest rise and fall against him, he realized that she had just passed out due to the sheer exhaustion. The physical and emotional trauma that she had went through that night had finally overwhelmed her and now she needed to rest.

Sighing heavilly, he lifted her into his arms bridal style and made his was way over to the passenger side of the Porshe. After depositing her securely inside of the vehicle, he made his way into the driver seat. Seconds later, he was racing away from the Lockwood Manor leaving the burning estate in his rearview mirror. Clutching the steering wheel tightly, he begin to think of the different locations he could take her so that she could sleep comfortably. The nearest hotel was more than fifty miles outside of town. Damon wasn't exactly Bonnie's favorite person at the moment, so the Boarding House was a no go. He would have considered taking her to her grams house, but she and Enzo was currently shacking up there and the last thing Bonnie needed was to have to sleep next to the man who had just shared another woman.

His thoughts were interrupted when the sound of his phone ringing echoed throughout the cab of the vehicle. Grabbing his phone out of his pocket, his eyes narrowed at the ugly crack that splintered the front of the screen. It had obviously been damaged during his violent fight with Kai. His mood grew worse when he spotted Enzo's name coming across the caller log.

 _'Speaking of_ _the devil_ _,'_ he thought sardonically before pressing the green icon.

"Yeah?" he answered gruffly.

Pause.

"Is Bonnie alright? I need to speak to her," Enzo demanded.

Stefan glanced over to the passanger seat where Bonnie was currently slumped back and snoring softly. The soft yet obnoxious sounds escaping from the back of her throat made a genuine smile cross his lips. Even when she was knocked out cold and practically dead to the world, she was beautiful.

"Bonnie is fine. She is resting now and I don't think waking her right now is the best idea," Stefan started.

"Just bring her home," Enzo snapped impatiently.

There was another pause. This was one was longer and it was heavy and filled with tension.

"Tonight has beeen pretty extreme and rough on her. I don't think that bringing her home is a good idea," Stefan paused and bit his bottom lip softly before continuing, " I think she could use a couple of days alone to decompress."

Enzo growled angrilly into the reciever causing a dark smile to stretch across Stefan's lips.

"No offense, but I could care less what you think she needs, Stefan. Bonnie well being isn't any of your concern. It's mine and if you know what's best for you, you will bring her home. Now," he warmed quietly.

Judging by the cold fury that Stefan heard in the other vampire's voice, he knew that it was dangerous and petty to continue to antagonize Enzo, but a part of him was enjoying it. He knew that Bonnie learning the truth about Enzo and Sybil being intimate had hurt her deeply, and her pain at the betrayal had triggered memories of the anguish he had felt when he had learned that Damon and Elena hooked up. He knew what that kind of betrayal could do to someone, and while Stefan knew that Bonnie would find it in her heart to forgive the man she loved for his sexual transgressions, Stefan wasn't going to sit by idly and make it easy for Enzo to get back in the Bennett witch's good graces.

"I'm going to take Bonnie somewhere so she can be safe and get some much needed rest. When she wakes up and wants to come home, I won't stand in her way. If she doesn't, I will stick around and keep an eye on her. In either case, you don't worry about Bonnie," Stefan murmured before reaching over and grazing Bonnie's cheek likely with his knuckles. A ghost of a smile flickered across her lips before disappearing. "She's in good hands."

Before Enzo could protest, the line went dead.

 **End Note: So I know a lot has happened in this one chapter, but I hope you** **enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hated how Bonnie was always shown as being so strong and never got comforted after going through some major bullshit. I wanted her to have a chance to be vulnerable and soft and have someone give her a safe space to do so.**


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: Shout out to the (MyOCDisMild, Kamille King, Titan07, jerkchickenz, NoaGurl88, jennyaikenak, , DancesWithButterflies, shan790, WhiteBlackGrey, geehud...and everyone who followed, review and favorite. Anyone that I missed I will make sure to shout you out in the next chapter. I genuinely appreciate you guys.**

 **-XO-**

(1)

The morning sky bled from a bluish purple to a cotton candy pink as the sun quietly crept over the horizon. All across the town of Mystic Falls, homes were buzzing with lethargic energy as people rolled out of bed to start their day. Blue collared men were grabbing their travel mugs filled with coffee as they prepared to face a long day of labor, housewives were fixing breakfast and tending to chores while children and teenagers were desperately sneaking in extra minutes of sleep before they were to board the big yellow bus that would take them to receive unwanted education. Rubbing his eyes wearily, Dorian winced as he felt a sharp piece of crust cut the corner of his eye causing a brief flare of pain to radiate through the upper half of his face. Usually Dorian would have been sound asleep inside of his bed next to Claudia, his friend whom he shared plentiful and generous benefits with, but instead, he was sitting at the desk in his study with a focused look in his dark eyes and a pensive frown on his mouth. He was busy pouring over his copy of the Maxwell Journal and deciphering the code that would leave him clues as to how to deal with the latest supernatural crisis. You would think having his life threatened by some bat shit crazy immortal would have been enough to keep him away from all of the supernatural drama, but for some reason it only intrigued Dorian to be more invested in it. Ever since he had made a copy of the journal, he had been studying it intensely hoping to find something that would help Alaric and his vampire friends to help take on the latest threat to their small town.

Nodding his head, he began to bob this head to the hip hop song blaring out of the ear buds that was plugged inside of his ears. Music had always helped him curb his focus whenever he was tackling a puzzle or something that was far more complex than he was use to. Something told him that there was something worth finding in the writings of the Maxwell's Journal and he was determined to read every word and search every page until he found it.

"What am I missing?" Dorian mumbled under his breath. He drummed his fingernails against the mahogany desk while worrying his bottom lip between his top teeth. "What the hell am I missing?"

When he was a kid, his father use to call him big brain as a nickname. If there was a puzzle to be solved or a riddle to be answered, Dorian was always someone his father could count on to be on the case. Whether it was watching wheel of fortune when he was suppose to be getting ready for bed, or taping Jeopardy so that he could watch it on the weekend, Dorian was a sponge when it came to absorbing knowledge. As a child, his thirst for knowledge and his acute curiosity had gotten him praised as articulate from his elders and ridiculed as a nerd by his young peers. It was only after his father and sister died that he became obsessed with the supernatural. Death and the after life had led him into learning that there were things that couldn't be explain in the world which is how he eventually stumbled across the existence of witches, vampires, and creatures that goes bump in the night.

The shuffling of barefeet against carpet caught his attention and he pulled out the ear bud before turning to face Claudia.

"It's like six in the morning," the pretty Latina complained as she stood in the middle of the room wearing nothing but his black button down shirt and a pair of solid gray boy shorts. "Why are you up so early?"

Dorian smiled apologetically as he leaned back and received the sweet and brief kiss that she placed on his mouth.

"I'm sorry, babe. I woke up earlier then expected and I couldn't go back to sleep so I thought I could get an early start on some reading," he said making a motion towards the pages scattered across his desk.

"There are better ways to fall back to sleep than reading some old dusty journal," she purred as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek. "Why don't you put that little book away and come back to bed and I can do that thing that you like with my tongue?"

Dorian felt his stomach coil as his manhood twitched eagerly at the promised of being satisfied.

"As much as I would really enjoy that, I really need to concentrate on finding something in this journal that will help a friend of mine," he said softly.

Claudia frowned as she picked up the object Dorian had been using to read and decipher the writings.

"What the hell is this?" she asked as she held it up to the light and observed it with deep curiosity reflecting in her sable colored eyes.

He pried it out of her hand gently before forcinng a smile. One of his biggest pet peeves was to be interrupted when he was in the middle of something important.

"It's a tool that I use to decode hidden messages," he sighed before placing it on the edge of the desk and turning to give her his full attention. "Why don't you go back to bed and get some extra shut eye before you have to go into work."

She grinned as she sat on the edge of the desk and innocently crossed her legs, causing the shirt she was wearing to expose her naked thigh. "I don't have to go into later tonight, Dory. Besides, I was hoping that if I got up early, we could spend quality time together and do something romantic. A walk in the park or we can take a trip to the movies. I am willing to do anything that doesn't include sitting in this apartment and watching you obsesses over some copy of some funky old ancient journal," she complained while pouting prettily.

"First, I told you to never call me Dory. Secondly, this 'ancient' journal is extremely important," Dorian said defensively.

Seeing that she was getting on his nerves, she sighed softly before hopping off the edge of the desk and storming out of the room.

Making himself more comfortable, he leaned back in the reclining leather office chair before kicking his feet up on his desk and crossing his ankles. Grabbing the thick yellow highlighter out of the drawer, he stuck it between his teeth as he began to read the next unread passage on the page in front of him.

 _May 1790,_

 _Today Beatrice and I met covertly in one of our many secret spots pre arranged_ _throughout the village. She was surprised that I have called upon her so soon after I last meeting, but I simply couldn't help myself. Every hour, every minute that I am away from her feels like an eternity and I find myself eager to be in her presence. I suspect that she is beginning to realize that my desire to see her has less to do with our mutual work on the Maxwell bell, and more to do with the fact that I have a growing fondness for her. Her smile, her laughter, its all contagious and I am more willing to be infected. I was more than prepared to confess my feelings for her and let fate happen. Unfortunately for my wounded heart, destiny had other plans. Before I could declare my devotion for the beautiful Bennett witch, she had announced that she had made quite the discovery. Somehow she had learned that Sybil was not who she pretends to be and that in fact, she is a charlatan, a fake, a pretender. This must be what had compelled me to keep a dangerous secret from her that I could not and still cannot express into words. She has gathered with her coven an they had created a weapon that could destroy the siren as well as her master._ _I wish that she had not told me this for I shall be compelled to reveal her secret if that satanic siren lays her wicked gaze upon me. I fear that by her creating something so powerful, she may have very well put her coven and her entire blood line in jeopardy. I swear to protect her at all cost, even if it means losing my life._

Dorian frowned as he pushed back from the desk and folded his arms across his chest. As he began to ponder over the particular journal passage he had read, he began to wonder what ever happened to the weapons that Beatrice had created that would take down the siren. From what he gathered, the entry in the journal sounded more like a declaration of love rather than a revelation on any real clues as to how to handle the current supernatural threat. Scrubbing his face wearily, he pushed back from the desk, he walked out of the study and headed down the hall to the kitchen where he retrieved the gallon of orange juice off the top shelf. Thumbing off the blue lid, he tossed his head back and greedily gulped down the orange liquid allowing it to purify the dryness that had settled in his throat. When he was fully refreshed, he pulled the jug back from his mouth and sat in on the counter before allowing his m mind to be consumed with the Maxwell journal once more. He thought it was pretty interesting that the Maxwell blood line and the Bennett bloodline managed to produce descendants that maintained the same kind of close connection today that Ethan and Beatrice seem to have in the past. He didn't know much about Matt's relationship with Bonnie Bennett, but he knew from the way Alaric had spoke about his two former students threat they were very close friends.

Pushing thoughts of Matt and Bonnie and the connection between thier two families to the back of his mind, he returned back to the study where he began to flip through the copy of the journal lazily. It was only after he thumbed through the pages a third time that something caught his eye. Something about the numbers was off. As he stopped towards the ends of the copies, he felt his excitement spike as he realized what he had been missing. The pages had skipped one over the other, and in his eagerness to find any clue that may assist him in revealing the siren and Cade's weakness, he hadn't realized that he had missed copying several pages from the original journal. He had a gut feeling that when he went back to the Armory and retrieved the missing transcripts, whatever it was in the passages would lead him to discovering the weapon that Beatrice and her coven created. If his instincts was right, not only would he have information that would aide Alaric and the others in protecting this town from unspeakable evil, but Dorian would go down in the supernatural history books as being the one to discover the key to destroying not one, but two supernatural immortals.

He grinned as he grabbed his phone and made a call to the only person who would be as excited at his news as he was. He was somewhat disappointed however when seconds later, he was greeted with a curt and brief voicemail.

"Hey, Ric. It's me. I think that I may have found something that will blown your mind," Dorian said excitedly, "Call me back when you get this."

 ** _-XO-_**

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Damon's knuckles bounced off the front door in a rhythmic beat as he waited for Bonnie to answer her front door. He had been driving around for the past couple of hours trying to come up with a answer to the annoying Sybil problem. Giving Elena over had not been an option that he had considered for a single moment, but he did care enough about both Bonnie and Enzo to not let the latter become Sybil's permanent prisoner. It was only when he had made his way back into Mystic Falls that he finally found a solution that would benefit all parties involved, well all except for him. The plan was simple. In order to keep Elena safe and to gain Enzo's freedom, Damon was willing to turn himself over to her and give her what she had been after for months. His obedience, his loyalty and everything else that came with the eternal stud package. He knew it wasn't ideal considering how long and hard Stefan and Bonnie had fought to pull him out of the siren's clutches, but if handing himself over to Sybil meant that he could protect the woman that he loved while simultaneously letting his best friend hold on to the man that she loved, it was a price that he was willing to pay. Bonnie had spent so much of her young life being the sacrificial lamb so that others could be happy. It was time for him to take a page from her play book and show her the same courtesy.

"Your car is in the driveway so I know you are home," he said loudly. "You can ignore me all you want, but I think we both know how persistent I can be. If I have to wait out here all day, I will."

Judging by the stony silence that he was recieving, Damon knew that Bonnie was punishing him by refusing to jump at his beck and call. She always felt the need to hold the moral ground whenever it came to their little spats, but he couldn't wait to see the look on her judgey little face once she learned what he had planned. Sure, she would be righteously pissed when she discovered that he had straight up lied to her face about Enzo's current predicament, but all would be forgiven once she learned what he had planned. Lifting his arm, he huffed impatiently and prepared to knock again when the door suddenly swung open and he found himself face to face with the last person that he had expected to see.

"Damon," Enzo greeted the raven haired vampire tiredly as he stepped aside to allow him access into the house. "Come inside. Your bloody pounding is going to annoy the neighbors."

Damon forced a smile as he stepped over the threshold and looked around suspiciously. Everything seemed normal, and nothing looked out of place, but he got the feeling that something was off and it wasn't until several seconds of deep pondering that he finally realize what it was. His head lifted as he stared up at the ceiling, feeling his heart plummet to the pit of his stomach as he heard the gentle fluttering of a familiar heartbeat.

For a moment, Damon felt as if time had stopped. Had something happened to Bonnie? If something happened to her, Damon didn't know if he would be able to cope. The thought was so painful that it made the pit of his stomach lurch violently and for a brief moment, he felt like he was going to be sick.

"Don't worry, mate. There is not a single scrach on her," Enzo reassured as if he was reading the other vampire's mind.

"Where is she?" he demanded, his eyes widening and become wild, "Where is Elena?"

Enzo sighed and motioned Damon towards the stairs that would lead him to the second story of the small and modest home. Not wasting a single second, Damon vamp speed up the stairs and stormed into the room where Elena's heartbeat was resounding quietly within the walls of Bonnie's bedroom. Once he was inside, his knees nearly buckled as his eyes caught sight of his beautiful girlfriend lying in the middle of Bonnie's bed. Her chestnut brown hair was fanned around her head like a silk curtain and her hands were resting lightly against her stomach. Damon had no idea as to how Enzo managed to get custody of the slumbering doppelganger, but he felt his entire body sag with relief when he realized that she was safe and sound. There were so many questions racing through his mind, but in that moment, he could only process the relief that Enzo's freedom hadn't come at the price of Elena's wellbeing. After pressing his lips tightly against her warm forehead, he graced her sleeping figure with one last smile before exiting the room and heading back downstairs.

Walking into the kitchen, he discovered that Enzo had drained two blood bags and was currently working a third. It didn't seem like he was devouring the blood because he was hungry. More like he was gorging himself on the plasma in order to wash away the events that had taken place earlier that evening. Damon would never admit it aloud, but he was starting to get really worried. How was Enzo able to gain possession of Elena when he had been in Sybil's custody? How was he able to escape and where the hell was Bonnie? He wanted to demand that Enzo stop stalling and spill all the details that had taken place in the past few hours, but he decided to hold on to the very little patience that he had. Besides, the fellow Augustine vampire didn't appear to be in the mood to be badgered and bombarded with countless questions. Finally, after what seem like forever to Damon, Enzo shoved the empty blood bags in the trash before motioning to Damon to follow him into the living room.

"So are you going to tell me what happened or are you going to stand there and stare there and sulk all gotdamn day?" Damon bit out harshly. The moment the words left his mouth, he knew that he was being a dick, but seeing Enzo free, Elena relocated and Bonnie nowhere around had him on edge and it was taking everything inside of the seething vampire not to lash out violently.

As they settled into couches facing opposite one of another, Enzo wiped traces of the crimson blood from his mouth before clearing his throat and quietly reliving everything that had transpired earlier that night in great detail. As Damon listened quietly, he felt his emotions go through the proverbial ringer. He was confused when he learned that Sybil and Kai had formed some kind of sick and unholy alliance; he was livid to find that Stefan had attempted to give Elena up as a bargaining chip for Enzo's freedom and he wasn't surprised to find that Bonnie had come running to save the day. What he had been shocked to discover was that not only had she reconnected with her magic which had allowed her to engage Sybil in confrontation which had enabled Enzo to escape and prevented Elena from coming to any harm.

"I don't think that I have ever seen you this quiet mate," Enzo chuckled miserably as he slumped back deeper into the couch. "Penny for your thoughts."

"I don't know where to start. I'm glad that Elena wasn't harmed, but I still want to rip Stefan's throat out," Damon spat angrily as he rose from his seat on the couch and paced across the living room floor like a caged animal, "I have given Stefan so many chance to redeem himself for all the destructive up things he has done, and every time we start to get to a good place, he fucks up. Every. Single. Time," Damon enunciated between gritted teeth. "If he thought me promising him an eternity of misery was bad, just wait until he sees what I have in store for him the next time we come face to face."

Enzo could practically taste Damon's rage and he felt chills run down his spine.

While the brown eyed vampire wanted to point out the obvious fact that he wouldn't be free if it wasn't for Stefan, Enzo realized now wasn't the time to test Damon's patience. He knew that when it came to Elena, no one else mattered. Stefan learned this the hard way, so has Enzo and eventually Bonnie would come to the realization sooner than later. Damon was so consumed with his love and devotion for the doe eyed doppelganger, that at times it became a little alarming to Enzo. Sure, Enzo loved Bonnie with all of his undead heart, but he wasn't consumed by her existence. He wasn't a slave to her love nor was she to his. It was a healthy and nourishing type of love whereas what Damon had with Elena was so toxic that at times, it threatened to rob Damon of all logic, senses and often blurred the lines of right and wrong.

Enzo cleared his throat quietly as he debated internally on how to calm his seething friend. In no way, shape or form did he want Damon to direct his ire towards him, but he knew that allowing Damon to remain in this percarious state of mine would be a problem that he couldn't simply afford to deal with at the moment. In this mind frame, Damon was the most dangerous. If he wanted, he could walk out the front door, come across the first innocent person who fell into his line of sight and bleed them dry simply because violence was the best way the elder Salvatore vampire knew how to deal with his anger issues.

Damon noticed Enzo starring at him and he felt the corner of his lip curl up into a sneer. "What the hell are you starring at, Enzo?"

"I know that you are furious with your brother, and you have every right to be, but maybe you should keep in mind that Stefan is the only family that you have left, and nothing is thicker than blood," Enzo reminded quietly.

Damon stopped pacing and stared down at Enzo incredously. "Maybe if you had a brother who betrayed you, you could offer some insight on the matter. Since you don't, why don't you try staying in your lane."

Enzo smirked as he leaned foreward and rested his elbows on his knees before starring Damon straight in the eyes.

"I was betrayed by a man I consider a brother or have you conviently forgotten about the time you left me to die in a fire all those years ago just to save your own ass?" Enzo reminded softly causing Damon to flinch noticeably. "If that wasn't bad enough, you took the one person that I cared for, and you murdered Maggie without feeling a single ounce of remorse. You abandoned me and your murdered a woman that I learned to love , yet I still show up for you, have your back, make sacrifices to keep your girl safe because you, mate, are the closest thing that I have to a brother.."

Damon shifted uneasily in the couch cushion as he felt his mouth grow dry and his palms grow sweaty. Damon always known that he could be a horrible son of a bitch, and he really had done some unforgivable things to people who had put their trust in him, but he didn't really like being reminded of it.

"Listen, Damon. I am not bringing up the past to make you feel bad. I am just pointing out that people are capable of the worst kind of betrayals, but it's love, time and patience that allows us to move passed that," Enzo pointed out gently.

"You may be a bleeding heart, but you and I are not the same. There are just some things that can't be forgiven," Damon said seething as rage flashed in crystal blue eyes.

"There was a time I didn't think Bonnie would forgive you for turning your back on her and desiccating, but she did. If she can find it in her heart to forgive you for abandoning her, you need to believe that you are capable of forgiving Stefan," Enzo said.

Hearing Bonnie's name being bought up in the conversation made Damon's anger wane somewhat as he directed his focus to the missing witch rather than his conniving younger brother.

"Kai and Sybil are out there and Bonnie is missing. She could be in danger and we need to find her," he growled.

Enzo shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Bonnie isn't missing. She's with Stefan," he revealed causing Damon eyes to go wide with surprise, "I spoke to him last night and he told me that he was taking her somewhere safe."

Damon chewed the corner of his lips as he thought about the implication of Bonnie being in Stefan's custody. The arrangement wasn't even close to being ideal, but at least he knew that Stefan wouldn't hurt her. Diet Rippah may have been unstable, but he wasn't completely off the reservation. If his moronic brother had been willing to hand Elena over to secure Elena for his freedom, he knew that his motives wasn't completely innocent. Stefan wanted to get rid off his ex girlfriend while also manipulating the situation to show Bonnie that he was willing to do what it took to save Enzo. Stefan wouldn't go through all of that just so he could rip the little witch to pieces, so as much as Damon hated his brother in that moment, a tiny piece of him felt relief knowing that wherever Bonnie was at, she was somewhat safe and protected.

"Bonnie is safe," Damon murmered combing his fingers through his wild black hair, "Stefan won't hurt her."

"Maybe I'm not worried about him hurting her. Maybe I'm worried about seducing her while she is in a vulnerable state," he admitted, his brow creasing deeply.

A dry laugh escaped the back of Damon's throat and he tried his damnest not roll his icy blue eyes.

"Bonnie's tough and loyal to a fault. She has been through worse than a botch kidnapping, a run in with an insane heretic and a face off with a love sick siren who is obsessed with me," Damon reassured him with a lopsided smile, "It's going to take a little more than that combination to cause Bonnie to lose all sense of right and wrong and go flying into my brother's opportunistic arms."

Enzo rose from the couch slowly and wiped his sweaty palms on the side of his black denim jeans.

"I'm afraid that I may have left out some details of what had taken place back at the Lockwood Manor," the Brit vampire admitted uncomfortably as he subconsciously made his way behind the couch before resting his hands on the back of the furniture while avoiding making any eye contact with Damon. He knew Damon well enough to know that his old friend would not take the news of him snogging their enemy lightly, even if it had been to save Elena's life. He knew that Damon would immediately see Enzo as the man who broke his best friend's heart and he would act accordingly and the last thing that Enzo wanted to do was to engage in a pointless confrontation with the older vampire. However, Enzo was not a stupid man. He knew that what had transpired between he and Sybil will eventually come to light and Damon reaction would be relatively worse if he heard from Stefan first, or even worse...a devastated Bonnie who would know doubt confide in Damon the first chance she got.

Damon jaw tightned as he watched as Enzo's face twisted with unadulterated guilt.

"Stop stalling and spit it out, Enzo," Damon urged impatiently.

"After Stefan showed up and handed Elena over to Sybil, she became petty and vindictive. She wanted to use me to hurt Bonnie, so she offered me an ultimatum. She would spare Elena's life, but only if I would go willingly into her bed," Enzo breathed deeply as he felt the weight of what he had done press heavily on his shoulders.

Damon blinked owlishly as he tried to process the words that had just spilled from Enzo's lips.

"Please tell me that you told her to go fuck herself. Tell me that you didn't literally get in bed with Sybil," Damon growled

"I did," Enzo admitted hoarsly, his dark eyes shining with unsheded tears. "Bonnie walked in on while Sybil and I were...intimate. She saw what I had done with her two eyes. Words cannot describe how horrible I feel."

"How about how horrible Bonnie feels? She had to watch you fuck another woman, a woman that is suppose to be our enemy," Damon snapped viciously.

"I was protecting your woman at the expense of betraying my own," Enzo roared emotionally, "What would you have had me do?"

The painful truth in Enzo's statement caused Damon to simmer down. He had been so busy being disgusted by Enzo's actions that he forgot to consider that had he not bent the Siren over and screwed her seven different ways from Sunday, there was a good chance Elena would not be live right now. Damon felt a nerve in his jaw ticked as he was overcome with guilt, anger and frustration. It seemed like every time Elena's life was put in jeopardy, her salvation always came at the expense of Bonnie and the people that she was closest to her. First it had been her grams, then it had been her mother being turned into a vampire, a situation that he wasn't proud to say he played a major part and now Bonnie had to endure more suffering because of Enzo's fidelity had been sacrificed to keep Elena safe.

As he quietly observed Enzo, it was clear that devestated vampire felt sick to his stomach over what he had done. Damon wanted to be mad and even lash out violently, but he knew that Enzo deserved his gratitude, not his condemnation. Sighing heavily, he walked over to the other vampire who was visibly tensed and emotional.

"Listen to me, Enzo. Bonnie has never loved a man as much as she has loved you. If she could forgive Jeremy for cheating on her with the ghost an ex girlfriend, I am confident that she will forgive you for screwing Sybil to keep Elena safe," Damon said, his voice and sincere. "Besides, it only happened once and she knows that there isn't a chance in hell that it would ever happen again."

Enzo forced a smile as he swallowed with great difficulty.

"It wasn't just this once," he admitted quietly.

Damon froze.

"What the hell do you mean it wasn't just this once?" his voice soft yet dangerous.

"When we were missing for those four months and killing every wicked person we came across, my humanity was off. I felt absolutely nothing. When Sybil offered a chance to satisfy my needs, I..I didn't turn her away," he said remorsefully.

Damon closed his eyes and massaged his forehead as he felt a slight headache come on. Tonight had been filled with so much drama that the vampire was secretly glad he had been nowhere near the Lockwood Manor when all hell had broken loose. He couldn't imagine how Bonnie must have felt to not only witness Enzo and Sybil fucking, but to know that it wasn't the first time and Enzo had kept it a secret from her. The guilt he felt about lying to Bonnie about Enzo's condition earlier was magnified by tenfold. Bonnie didn't deserve for any of this to happen. She didn't deserve for Damon to be dishonest with her and she didn't deserve being cheated on by the man she loved. Being betrayed by the two people that she trusted the most had to have hurt her deeply, and Damon was deeply concerned about her emotional state.

It was in that moment that he wished that it was him that was with her right now instead of Stefan. His charming younger brother would no doubt see Bonnie for the vulnerable lost soul that she was right now and try to take advantage of that. After all, what did honor, morals and nobility mean to a vampire who treated emotions like some sort of detached limb that was less than relevant? Earlier, he had been confident that Bonnie wouldn't fall victim to Stefan's charms, but now, he wasn't so sure. What she needed was to be in the arms of the people who actually gave a damn about her, but Damon had lied to her and Enzo had been unfaithful. The two people who she was supposed to comfort her when she was at her lowest were the ones who dragged her to that place, and as much as Damon hated to admit it, her tears, her pain...it fell on his and Enzo's shoulders.

"You should have told her the truth," Damon whispered thickly, "We should have told her the truth."

"We weren't the only ones keeping secrets," Enzo revealed stiffly. "Sybil was able to take a peek inside of your brother's twisted head and found out that he and Bonnie were keeping a secret of their own. Apparently they shared a not so innocent kiss at the Mystic Falls Pageant."

If the situation wasn't so tense and the expression on the other vampire's face wasn't so pained and serious, Damon would have laughed openly in his face. The fact that Enzo was making some idiotic kiss seem like some steamy tryst was amusing due to the fact that he was clearly trying to flip the proverbial script. Enzo felt so guilty about hooking up with another woman that when he learned that Stefan had pushed up on the little witch, in his mind it seemed like Bonnie's little secret somehow evened the score.

"I'm sorry, but you can't really think that hiding the fact that you tickled Sybil's kitty with little Enzo-," Damon paused to motion awkwardly at the brown eyed vampire's junk, "Can be considered the same as Stefan forcing himself on Bonnie by kissing her."

"She kept it from me. It may not be on the same level of betrayal, but deception is deception," Enzo protested.

"I was there when Stefan got all creepy with her. She wasn't exactly a willing participant in the act. She was simply stunned and caught off guard," Damon said in defense of his best friend.

"How do I know that Stefan won't take advantage of her and convince her to betray her commitment to me?" he asked softly.

"He doesn't hold that kind of powe over het." Damon said firmly.. When Enzo shot him a look of suspicion, Damon walked over to Enzo with a reassuring smile on his lips . "Stefan is just playing a game with her. He's bored. He needs someone to entertain him and unfortunately for the two of us, he decides he wants to play with Bonnie. I know how much Bonnie loves you and I know that she isn't going to fall for Stefan's bull."

"How do you know?" Enzo asked uneasily.

"Because she didn't fall for mine," Damon wanted to say, but bit his tongue instead.

Damon wasn't proud of it, but he had once pulled the same stunt that Stefan was currently pulling with Bonnie. In the prison world, he could admit that he had casually engaged in harmless flirting, playful eye fucking, and occasionally invaded the little witch's space causing her discomfort due to the smoldering heat between them, but that was because he had been bored. When vampires like he and Stefan were bored, they went out to find the most interesting thing to toy and play with and Stefan and Damon had always shared the same kind of taste when it came to women, so why would Bonnie be any different? The only difference between Stefan and Damon, was that Damon's boredom had resulted in a unexpected and very valuable friendship with Bonnie. He was doubtful that the same could come from Stefan's involvement with Bonnie due to many reasons. One being that Stefan wasn't attached to his humanity which meant he was driven by lust that was bound to go unchecked. Eventually Stefan was going to push the envelope and go to far and Bonnie would bitch smack him back in his lane. He knew Bonnie and he knew that he could trust her judgement when it came to being put in a compromising position. Damon was concerned about Stefan's intentions, but he would never question Bonnie's loyalty,

Forcing thoughts of Stefan and Bonnie to the back of his head, he turned his attention back to Enzo who was still pacing across the floor with a distressed look on his handsome face.

"I think she could have forgiven me for sleeping with Sybil to spare Elena's life, but for four months she was searching for me, heartbroken and terrified that I was lost to her forever. She was trying to find me to bring me home, and I was betraying her in the worse way," Enzo choked, on the verge tears, "How the hell do you forgive that?"

Damon inhaled sharply as he searched his mind for an answer to Enzo's desperate plea, but he came up short.

"Listen to me, buddy," Damon coaxed, his voice uncharacteristically gentle and kind as he rested his hands on Enzo's shoulder. "Bonnie is hurt but she is not going to give up on you or forget that she loves you more than anything in this world. She is hurt and she is somewhere licking her wounds, but you have to have faith that she is going to come home."

"What if she doesn't?" Enzo asked dully.

"Bonnie loves you," he said somberly, his transparent blue eyes boring into Enzo's dark brown ones, "Our little witch always come home to the people that she loves."

 **End Note: Next Update coming soon!**


	16. Chapter 16

_**AN: Hey guys. I told you I would update soon. This is chalk full of Stefonnie goodness. Enjoy!**_

 **-XO-**

The first thing Bonnie noticed when her eyes fluttered open was that her mouth was unnnaturally dry. Her throat was itchy, her lips were chapped and her tongue felt heavy as it pressed against the roof of her mouth. As she licked her lips subconsciously, she lifted her hand and ran her fingers through her brown locks. She winced as her fingers snagged and got caught up in several unfortunate knots. Since she didn't have time to wrap it up in a silk scarf or pull it under a bonnet, it was tangled and it was going to be a real bitch to comb through. As she stifled a yawn and stretched deeply, she looked around the room and suddenly her messy hair and her cotton mouth became the least of her worries. Sitting up abruptly, she found that she was sleeping inside of a bed that was definitely not hers and was inside of a room that seemed somewhat familiar but for the life of her, couldn't place when and where she had been inside of it before.

Glancing around the room warily, she felt her curiosity deepen as she found a picture faced down on the nightstand next to the alarm clock. Lifting it in her hands, she was surprised to find, inside of the sterling silver picture frame, was a photograph of Alaric and Caroline posing with their two twin daughters, Lizzie and Josie. Replacing the photo back in it's resting place, she glanced around the room and noticed that the walls were yellow, which had been Caroline's favorite color since childhood. It only took several more seconds for her to come to the conclusion that she had somehow found sanctuary inside of the Forbes residence. The more she thought about how and why she ended up there, the more things began to make sense and come into focus. After everything that had transpired, she couldn't have gone back to the Boarding House because of Damon's presence and she couldn't go back to her own home because of Enzo. The last place she would have wanted to wake up was in the presence of either of the aforementioned men. They both lied to her and betrayed her and she wasn't ready to just forgive and forget.

The bed shifted slightly causing her thoughts to be momentarilly derailed. It was the first time since waking up that she realized that she wasn't alone. Frowning, she reached over and pulled the comforter down and found a very shirtless and very sleepy Stefan lying on his side facing her with his mouth half opened as he snored peacefully. One of his arms was draped heavily around her waist holding her firmly in place against the mattress. She would have questioned why she hadn't noticed his offending limb the moment she had woken out of her slumber, but she was too distracted to debate that as she stared at him openly and unabashedly. Her green eyes scanned across his body and it took a slow and scenic detour. She marveled at how his caramel colored haired seemed to look perfect even though it was wild and untamed; she took in the sight that their was a dry patch of drool on the right comer of his mouth indicating that he was a heavy sleeper; her eyes drifted to his well defined pectoral and abdominal muscles that made him look like a sculpted Greek god. In her humble opinion, Stefan's body was truly a work of art and as she forced herself to swallow, she realized that the dryness inside of her mouth was no longer the reason why she suddenly felt extremely thirsty.

As her gaze made its way back up to his angelic face, she blushed as she was reminded of the explosive and mind blowing kiss that they shared outside of the Lockwood Manor. The memory of forcing a mouthful of his own blood down her throat while he engaged her in a hungry lip lock had been both unexpected yet surprisingly hot. After a night where all she had managed to feel was pain, fear and betrayal, Stefan had stepped up and with one kiss he had managed to make her momentarily forget all of the terrible things that had happened to her over a span of twenty four hours. That was just how good of a kisser he was. A part of Bonnie silently scolded herself for allowing herself to feel turned on and moved by the kiss, but a bigger part shamelessly encouraged her to revel in it. Enzo had spent the night raw dogging an immortal siren. Bonnie deserved to feel a little physical gratification, right?

"Oh, god." Bonnie groaned before flopping back down onto the mattress and pulling the covers over her head in a childish attempt to hide from the war being waged between her conscious, her heart and her libido.

"I've been called many things, but never that," Stefan mumbled sleepily as he used his arm draped across her waist to pull her closer to him, "I must admit. You really know how to flatter a guy."

Bonnie removed the cover from over head to find the green eyed vampire starring at her under a hooded gaze while a lazy smile slowly stretched across his mouth.

"Hardy har har," she cackled sarcastically as she attempted to move away from him, but failed miserably as he held her in place.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," he said pouting playfully as he released her so that he could bring his hand up to lightly brushed the apple of her cheek with the back of knuckles.

"Maybe it has something to do with waking up next to you," she snipped.

"Ouch," he chuckled softly as he sat up and rested his back against the headboard.

"Does Caroline know that we are using her place as a safehouse?" she asked curiously as she propped her elbow up on the mattress and leaned her cheek against her closed fist.

"I shot her a text before we got here. She said it was fine," he shrugged lazily. "I figured that you didn't want to go to the Boarding House and you didn't want to go to your house, so this was the only other option. I could have drove us to a hotel, but I didn't want to be presumptuous."

"How kind of you," she dead panned.

Bonnie opened her mouth to fire off more questions, but she was interrupted by the sound of Stefan's phone going off.

 _Sweet Caroline_

 _Good times never look so good_

 _I'd be inclined_

 _To believe that they never would_

"Neil Diamond? Seriously?" Bonnie snorted not bothering to hide her amusement.

Clearly embarrassed, he reached over and muted the ringer causing the room to fall silent once more.

"Why didn't you answer her call?" Bonnie asked curiously.

"Because there are far more better things I could be doing than talking to my neurotic ex," he said saucily.

Bonnie sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes before crawling over him and reaching for the phone. Moving swiftly, he wrapped his arms around her waist holding her flushed against his body. Their eyes locked and Bonnie felt a slow heat creep up at the back of her neck. She knew that he was being playful, but the heat between them was anything but innocent. She didn't know how any red blooded woman could be on the receiving end of Stefan's bedroom eyes and not be seriously turned on. She knew she was susceptible to his charm due to the fact that her heart was currently fractured, but she had a nagging feeling that even if she was still in a solid place with Enzo, she would still be affected. He licked his lips slowly as his hands began to wander from the small of her back down to her jean cladded ass. Narrowing her eyes, a small smirk splayed across her lips as she gave him a tiny witchy migraine causing him to release her as his hands flew to the side of his head. Satisfied, she ended the spell before pressing her hands against his chest and lifting herself up so that she was straddling him. When he bared his fangs in a threatening manner, her smirk deepened as she continued to stare down at him unbothered. If Stefan insisted on playing his childish games, she was going to punish him accordingly.

Bonnie didn't notice the sinister smile on Stefan's lips before it was too late. Before she could brace herself, he used his supernatural agility to switch their positions causing her back to hit the mattress. A soft hiss escaped her lips as he surged forward making a temporary home between her legs. He threaded his fingers through hers and pinned them over her head as he bit down on his bottom lip softly. He wanted her to feel the reaction she had caused when she had straddled him and causing him to feel the heat radiating from between her thighs. Judging from the soft whimper and the doubling of her heartbeat, she felt every inch of his hard erection that was pressed against her. When he lowered his face towards hers, Bonnie was afraid that he was about to kiss her, but when he buried his mouth into the curve of her neck, she relaxed noticeably. He wanted to penetrate her one way or another and the need to keep some semblance of self control was growing more difficult with each passing moment. Instead of using his teeth to pierce her skin, his mouth closed around a small patch of her flesh above her clavicle where he proceeded to suck gently. He smiled briefly as he felt her back arch and her breasts brush against his chest.

"If you knew all of the dirty things I dreamed about doing to you last night, you would probably hate me," he murmured as his teeth lightly grazed her earlobe. His dark confession caused goosebumps to dance across her skin and she had to bite her tongue to keep from moaning in response to sinful things he was doing to her ear with his mouth.

"What makes you think I already don't?" she groaned as she felt his cool lips brush against her cheek.

"Because something tells me that you want me just as bad as I want you. You are just too proud to admit," he said hoarsely as he pressed his forehead against hers. He could feel the veins around his eyes becoming transparent, so he inhaled sharply to calm the sexual monster inside that was begging to come out to play. A week ago he had initiated a physical connection between them and last night it had exploded into something he could have never predicted. He wanted her so badly that it made his gums itch and balls tighten. Subconsciously, he pressed his hips deeper into hers causing his erection hidden inside of his pants to brush against her core once more. The friction caused both the vampire and witch to inhale sharply.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her voice filled with lust and confusion.

"I was thinking that we should pick up where we left off last night," he suggested seductively.

"We are currently lying in your ex fiancé's bed," she pointed out as she slowly begin to come out of the spell that had fallen between them, "Even if Caroline wasn't one of my best friends, it would be just as messed up."

"As messed up as you shoving your tongue down my throat," he reminded innocently.

Bonnie swallowed nervously.

"That was a mistake," she whispered thickly. While she knew that she had led Stefan on by kissing him the night before, she didn't have any intentions on taking their little game of tonsil hockey any further. She had made a mistake and in the heat of the moment acted on desires that had overwhelmed her. Did she enjoy it? God, yes. Kissing him was something that was going to be burned into the memory for the rest of her life. Something like that was almost impossible to forget and she was going to have a hard time pretending that it didn't happen. However, nothing that happened negated the fact that she was still committed to Enzo and her heart belonged to him.

"You're a horrible liar," he teased as his gaze flickered from her eyes down to her parted lips.

Why was he making it so difficult to resist him? Maybe it was because there was obviously something between them and the kiss had dragged their sexual tension out of the darkness and into the light. Whatever it was, Bonnie knew that if Stefan continued to press his rock hard body deeper into hers while gazing at her with that panty melting gaze, her resolve was going to crumble leaving behind self loathing and deep regret. Stefan seemed to understand this and sighed in resignation before removing himself from on top of her and making his way out of the bed allowing Bonnie to take exhale relieved. Fortunately, they were both spared the awkward silence as his phone began to vibrate blaring "Sweet Caroline" loudly for the second time in the past five minutes.

Rolling his eyes exasperated, he reached down and grabbed the phone off of the nightstand before answering it cheerfully.

"Caroline," he drawled lazily, "To what do I own the pleasure of hearing the sound of your beautiful voice this morning?"

"Cut the crap, Stefan. Where's Bonnie? How is she doing? Is she okay?" the blonde's voice got more pitchy and shrill with each question she fired off causing Stefan to hold the phone away from his ear.

Bonnie covered her mouth to keep from laughing as Stefan rolled his eyes and silently mocked Caroline and her borderline hysteria. As they listened to Caroline rant loudly, their eyes locked and they exchange genuine smiles. The sexual tension that had been between them earlier was slowly beginning to melt away and Bonnie was more than a little relief. If Stefan hadn't pulled away when he did, she wasn't sure she would have had the emotional strength to stop him if he decided to take his foreplay to the next level. As Caroline continued to viciously chew Stefan's ear off, the smirking vampire winked at her causing her to roll her eyes. She thought Damon was a big flirt, but apparently Stefan had mastered the art of being adorably seductive without even having to try that hard. It was both infuriating and sexy.

"Stefan, are you even listening to me? Why aren't you saying anything? Let me speak to Bonnie. You better had not hurt her," the blonde growled.

"Trust me, Car," Stefan urged with a smirk as he made his way back over to Bonnie's side of the bed, "There are a lot of things I would like to do to Bonnie. Hurting her isn't one of them."

Bonnie flushed and snatched the phone out of Stefan's possession before he had a chance to say another word.

"Hey, Care. I'm fine. Apparently all I needed was a good nights sleep and I'm good as new," she said, her voice a little too bright.

Caroline sighed sounding deeply relieved.

"That's great. You have no idea how worried I was about you," she cooed causing Bonnie to smile despite the guilt she was feeling.

Her friend was wracked with concern for her while she had practically been dry humping Stefan moments earlier. Bonnie couldn't help feel like she was becoming a horrible person and she hated that her actions could very well hurt someone that she had grown to love like a sister.

"I, uh, I really appreciate you letting me crash at your place for the night," Bonnie murmured shoving her self loathing aside as she cradled Stefan's phone between her right shoulder and her ear. "I definitely owe you one."

"Bonnie Bennett. How many times do I have to tell you that my house is your home? Mi case es tu casa...or whatever," Caroline chirped on the other end of the receiver. Bonnie could hear the twins babbling incoherently in the back ground followed by deep laughter from Alaric. "Hold on. Let me get somewhere more quiet. It's like a circus in here."

Bonnie chuckled amused as she sat up against the headboard and stared up at the ceiling.

Seeing that the two friends were about to engage in a conversation that Stefan was clearly not interested in, the bored vampire grabbed his shirt off the floor. After sliding it over his head and putting his arms between the two holes, he pulled the rest of the fabric down covering his muscular stomach. He grinned wolfishly as he noticed that Bonnie was putting forth a great deal of effort trying to pretend that she wasn't watching him out of the corner of her eye.

"I'm going to go make coffee," Stefan mouthed disappearing out of the room.

"Okay, I'm back," Caroline announced, " Now tell me what all happened last night and start from the very beginning."

Bonnie opened her mouth preparing to respond when she heard Caroline let one rip before giggling and apologizing profusely.

"That was gross, Care," Bonnie cackled as she covered her mouth with her hand.

"I get gassy when I am nervous. You know that," the blonde said defensively, "Now spill the deets."

"I will tell you everything you want, but first, please tell me that you have a spare toothbrush," she pleaded causing Caroline to laugh.

"Look under the sink in the bathroom. There should be pack under there," she informed.

Walking into the bathroom, Bonnie pulled open the cabinet beneath the sink and dug around for a couple of seconds before she emerged happily with a pack of tooth brushes. She giggled when she saw little cartoon prints of Dora the Explorer on the handle indicating they were intended for children, but Bonnie didn't care. As long as she could use the object to scrub the taste of blood and bile off of her tongue and purge her teeth of bacteria, she was as good as gold. As she grabbed the tooth paste and went to work, she listened patiently as Caroline complained about how small and uncomfortable the safe house was and how much she wished she was back in Mystic Falls so that she could be there for her.

"How's Ric and the girls?" Bonnie managed to ask as she scrubbed her back molars while starring at her reflection in the mirror.

"The girls are slowly adjusting and Ric can't seem to escape his work," Caroline sighed heavily.

Spit.

Bonnie watched a mixture of her salavia, water and toothpaste go down the sink drain as she frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"Dorian is on the phone with Ric right now nerding out about some Maxwell Journal and how there is a good chance that he may discover something about a weapon that could take out Cade and Sybil. That's all I know for now," Caroline informed sounding bored.

Bonnie on the other hand felt her excitement surge at the prospect of finding a way of eliminating Sybil.

"Hey, Care. Do you mind forwarding Stefan's number to Dorian? I would love the chance to talk all this over with him in person," Bonnie said as she wiped her mouth with a wash cloth and reached for a towel so that she could shower once she got off the phone with the blonde.

Pause.

"Of course I don't mind. I'll tell Ric to do it the moment he gets off the phone. Now stop stalling, girlie and give me a playback of what happened last night," Caroline insisted.

Taking a deep breath, she sat on the edge of the tub before briefly filling Caroline in on everything that had taken place hours earlier. When she was done, there was a long pause of silence before Caroline exploded.

"Stefan actually tried to deliver Elena into the hands of siren the skank? He better hope Damon kicks his ass before I get the chance to," she ranted angrily, "I can't believe he would be that heartless. Oh my god. I can't even believe that you can even tolerate being anywhere near him after what he did."

Bonnie shifted uncomfortably knowing full well that Stefan vampire hearing could detect every word that Caroline was saying.

"It was wrong, but his heart was kinda in the right place. He wanted to help get Enzo out of the clutches of Sybil. That's more than what I can say for his selfish brother," Bonnie said bitterly.

"Don't defend Stefan, Bonnie," Caroline warned evenly. "You try to see the good in everyone, and I love you for that, but in this case, you are wrong. There is no good in Stefan. He handed Elena over because he is still pissed off that she chose Damon over him. If he can't have her than no one can."

The venom she heard dripping from Caroline's words made Bonnie cringed. She knew that Caroline was more than a little bitter about her break up with Stefan, but she thought it had everything to do with the fact that he was running around with his humanity switch stuck between off and on. It never occurred to Bonnie that the blonde vampire was still hung up on her insecurities of Stefan and Elena's past relationship. While she was tempted to reassure Caroline that Stefan's romantic feelings for Elena was non existent, a part of her felt that she would be speaking out of turn. It wasn't her place to speak on something that she didn't have any facts on. For all she knew, Caroline could be forming her opinion based off her gut instinct and Bonnie knew first hand that when it came to a woman's intuition, it was best to pay close attention.

The silence was broken when Caroline sighed heavily into the phone.

"Listen, Bonnie. I know that you think I am being harsh, but I'm just trying to look out for you. If you think that there is hope for Stefan, you are going to end up disappointed. I know that he helped you out of a bad situation last night, but it doesn't erase the horrible and evil things he has done up to this point," Caroline said softly.

"So you think just because someone does something terrible in their past, they aren't worthy of forgiveness?" Bonnie asked sadly.

Caroline inhaled sharply.

"God, Bonnie! You know I wasn't talking about you and Enzo. What he did was awful, but he did it for a good reason. He did what he did to protect Elena, one of your oldest and dearest friend. In some circles, that could be considered noble, "the neurotic vampire tried weakly.

Bonnie felt the tips of her ears burn and anger blossomed inside of her chest like a run away wild fire. Caroline was trying to be consoling and a good friend, but the blonde didn't understand how offensive her statement was. In some circles Enzo's actions could be considered noble? In what fucking circles? Circles where friends happily sacrificed the virtue and the reverence of their man's penis in order to protect the life of a friend who always seem to find herself being hunted and endangered? There was absolutely nothing noble about Enzo sticking his meat stick into the siren's fish hole. It wasn't noble when he did it during the four months he had been gone and Bonnie had stressed herself out by searching high and low for him, and it definitely wasn't noble when she had walked in on Enzo fucking Sybil with a look of ecstasy on his fucking face. Noble? Caroline was bright, smart and witty, but Bonnie quietly wished that her blonde friend learned more words before she had left high school because noble was not the right word to describe Enzo's action.

"There is absolutely nothing noble about watching the man you love being inside another woman. Even if he was screwing her to protect the life force of Elena Gilbert," Bonnie spat her friend's named spitefully.

Caroline must have realize the error of her ways because she quickly apologized.

"Sweetie, I'm sorry," Caroline voice was soft and sad. "I didn't mean to...What I meant was...I'm sorry, sweetie. I had a blonde moment. I should have never said that. I love Elena but I love you just as much. You know that right?"

Bonnie felt a lump of tears form in her throat but she refused to cry. There would be plenty of time for that in the future. Right now, all she needed to focus on was getting herself cleaned up so that she could process and determine what her next move would be.

"Listen, Care. I feel really gross and I really need to get cleaned up Do you mind if I call you later?" she asked desperate for the phone call to end.

"Of course, chica. If you need me to come down there and start lopping off balls, all you have to do is say the word and I'm there," the former cheerleader promised darkly causing Bonnie to laugh despite the heavy weight of sadness that had fallen over her.

"Take care of yourself, Bonnie."

"You too, Caroline."

'Click.' The line went dead.

 **-XO-**

The soft sounds of eggshells could be heard cracking as Stefan emptied two orange yolks into the frying pan. As the morning breakfast begin to sizzle, Stefan turned his attention to the counter where he had cut up small chunks of cantaloupes, washed off plump strawberries and grapes, and toasted a couple of slices of wheat bread and had placed them on a small white saucer. As he hummed a nameless tune and prepared a small morning meal for him and the young witch to feast on, he couldn't help but think about the conversation that he overheard taking place between Bonnie and Caroline. The verbal exchange between the two women had started off friendly enough. It was only when Bonnie had bought up Stefan that the dialogue had went off the rails. While the old Stefan would have been devastated by the coldness and the anger that the blonde vampire had expressed while trash talking him to Bonnie, the new and improved Stefan was completely unbothered. Caroline had made it clear that she didn't believe in unconditional love when she threw his engagement ring back in his face and broken up with him. Stefan knew that he wasn't innocent and blameless in their inevitable split, but Caroline made it clear that when it came to commitment, she was only willing to love and stand by him he was hero hair Stefan. When it came to him showing signs of regressing to dangerous and soulless Rippah Stefan, she didn't want to have a single thing to do with him.

He shrugged as he realized that maybe it was all for the best. Caroline had daughters to think about and what good mother would want to marry an unstable vampire and bring him around her two, young innocent girls? Stefan would never dream of hurting Josie or Lizzie, but he respected the fact that Caroline finally was able to look past her love for him and realized that they weren't a good match. They were in two separate places in their life. Caroline needed to focus on raising her family and keeping them safe, and Stefan needed...well Stefan needed to focus on learning to be less of a boy scout and more of a vampire who looked out for his own best interest. That meant put his own needs first and learning to stop giving a fuck what other people thought of him. Damon and present company included.

Flipping the eggs over lightly, careful not to break the yoke, Stefan's thoughts drifted from his former flame to his latest bed buddy and he felt a smile slowly creep across his face. He had to admit that he had expected for her to throw a fit and attempt to kick his ass when she woke up and found out that they had spent the night together in the same bed, but he was pleasantly surprise that she had done the exact opposite. Stefan had laid the charm on thick and had even gotten away with invading her personal space by using his body to seduce hers into what he knew would have been an incredible make out session and really fucking hot foreplay. Unfortunate for him, Bonnie's conscious had kicked it and she had pumped the breaks on his attempt to savagely ravish her.

"Looks like the Iron chef is busy at work," Bonnie noted amused as she breezed into the kitchen.

"Looks like someone enjoyed thier shower," he retorted while taking in the spring in her step and the absence of tension and sadness in her face. She was no longer wearing the clothes that she had went to bed in. Instead, she was wearing a loose fitting pair of pink floral shorts, a tight white camisole and white flip flops. Her hair fell in soft waves around her shoulders.

"It was just what the doctor ordered. I feel amazing," she admitted with a shy smile as she made her way over to where he was standing by the stove.

Stefan inhaled her scent and discovered her skin smelled like Gardenia's and her damp brown locks smelled like green apples. He bristled as he realized that she smelled entirely too much like Caroline and it was a bit unnerving. He missed the spicy nodes of earth, sage and lavender that Bonnie would exude whenever she would walk into the room. He shook his head as he realize that he shouldn't even know exactly how Bonnie normally smelled much less care. Maybe the kiss that they had moved him more than he had realized and the thought left him feeling a little uneasy. He wanted to be friendly with the witch, and in the future, if he was lucky, he would love to bend her over the nearest flat surface and make her say his name while withering with pleasure, but he had absolutely zero intentions of falling for her. Developing feelings is what made a woman leave you for your brother. Developing feelings is what caused a engagement ring to be thrown back in your face and Stefan was none too eager to go down either of those roads any time soon.

He was drawn out of his thoughts by the soft sound of a light moan filling the room. Looking over his shoulder, he watched as Bonnie plucked several grapes into her mouth and chewed them with a look of delight on her pretty face. Another moan of satisfaction vibrated from the base of her throat and Stefan's eyes fell to the little droplets of juice that had squirted onto her bottom lip. She looked like a little chipmunk with her cheeks puffy and full and he couldn't help but chuckle at the adorableness of it all.

"I made over easy eggs, toast and bacon for breakfast. It was the best I could do with the limited supplies that I hmmph-," Stefan was cut off by Bonnie standing on her toes and wrapping her arms around him in a friendly and affectionate embrace.

"Not that I'm complaining, but what was that for?" he inquired softly.

"I know that you heard Caroline's side of our conversation, and I know that it couldn't have been easy hearing her say all of those harsh things about you. You may not be the good guy that Caroline and I are use to, but you didn't deserve that," she said quietly as she pulled away from him.

Stefan blinked stupidly as he stared down at the sympathetic little witch. Rolling his eyes, he smirked before resting his hands on her shoulder and bending his knees so that he was at her eye level.

"I think it's sweet that you feel the need to feel sorry for me, but let me assure you that I really don't give a furry rat's ass what Caroline thinks about me," he said honestly before releasing her and returning back to the stove. Moments later, he walked over to the kitchen table and placed two plates of food down before settling down in the chair opposite of Bonnie's

"So what she said wasn't true?" she asked innocently as she stabbed her eggs with a fork.

"What part?" he asked sipping his coffee.

"The part about you giving Elena over to Sybil out of spite because she chose Damon over you?" she pressed gently.

Stefan slammed the coffee mug down on the table before she stared at her with a peeved look on his handsome face.

"If you are expecting me to apologize for making that decision, don't hold your breath. As far as I am concern, Elena is just as expendable as the rest of us," he said flatly.

Bonnie shakes her head.

"She really did a number on you, didn't she?" she asked softly.

A nerve in Stefan's tightly clenched jaw twitched slightly as hardened look settled in his cold forest green eyes. She could tell that she had managed to hit his sore spot.

"You would be a lot more attractive if you were a lot less judgmental." Stefan made the dig to hurt her, but she smiled at him like he was as transparent as glass. Bonnie been around the Salvatore's long enough to know that when you hit a sensitive pressure point, they didn't retreat and lick their wounds. They lashed out and tried to dole out the same kind of emotional pain that they received. Unfortunately for Stefan, Bonnie wasn't some weak and insecure woman who concerned herself with how other men saw her physically and she wasn't going to let his insult deter her from keeping all the way real with him.

"Elena fell in love with you, broke your heart and found her happily ever after with your brother. You thought that she would be a nice reprieve from Katherine and that she would become your epic love, but you were wrong. It's okay to feel robbed and cheated. It's okay to mourn the loss of that relationship. What's not okay is you endangering her life because you still have unresolved issues. Humanity or no humanity, that was a really shitty thing to do. I know we are not friends, but let me offer you a piece of friendly advice," she suggested softly, "Get over her."

Stefan snorted rudely. "I've fucked plenty of women after my break up with Elena. I've clearly moved on."

"That explains why she is living rent free in your undead heart," Bonnie smirked. "Hate isn't the opposite of love, Stefan. Indifference is. When you become indifferent to her, then you will have moved on."

Stefan frowned and his forehead crinkled deeply indicating that he was less than please with Bonnie's observation and unsolicited advice. If she wanted to have a heart to heart about painful relationships, he was more than willing to turn the tables on the little witch.

"Since you are such an expert on moving past betrayal, how are you going to deal with the fact that your precious little soul mate was balls deep in another woman?" Stefan asked sharply.

Bonnie felt her throat tightned as she recalled the heart wrenching images from the previous evening. She stared down at her plate of food, suddenly not feeling hungry anymore. Thoughts of Enzo and Sybil fornicating like horney little weasel's was enough to make anyone lose their appetite. She wrapped her fingers around the mug of coffee enjoying the warmth that she felt seeping through her small fingers.

"I am going to take space and time to heal before I decide where he and I are going to go from this point," she said demurely.

"I'm surprised. I really thought you would be jumping at the chance to run back in his arms and forgive him," Stefan said bluntly as he wiped his mouth with a paper towel and stared straight into her confused eyes.

"You really think that I have low self esteem and a lack of self respect?" she asked dryly.

"I think," Stefan started carefully, "That you have a huge capacity for forgiveness. You forgave Elena for being a crappy friend, you forgave Jeremy for cheating on you, you forgave Damon for assaulting you and you forgave me for the part I played in turning your mother. Most people would have probably told us to rot in hell."

Bonnie leaned back in her chair as he let the weight of his words fall over her. Stefan had a point. If she was the sort of person to hold grudges and keep scores, she should have gone all dark and twisted and rained down thunder and vengeance on their collective asses a long time ago. Fortunately, Bonnie wasn't the type of person who believed in the whole philosophy that called for an eye for an eye. She believed that the only way to ever truly heal and find peace was to forgive. It didn't always happen over night, and there were times she still silently picked at the scabbing that covered her emotional scars, but she knew that nothing ever good came from holding grudges from the crimes people committed against her in the past. Stefan and Damon's rocky and volatile relationship was living proof of that.

"Maybe I don't have it in me to really hate a person. Maybe I'm just a good person. Did you ever stop to consider that?" she prodded lightly.

"Yeah. You are a saint," he said mockingly. "Patron Saint of doormats."

"Because I let people walk all over me. Real subtle, Stefan," she said quietly as she tried not to let him see how much his words affected her.

"I wasn't trying to be," he said honestly as he wiped his mouth with his paper towel before crumpling it up into a tiny little ball. "You are probably one of the most strongest and most resilient people that I know, but you allow so many people in your life to literally get away with murder. You let them get away with betraying you, neglecting you, and treating you like a second class citizen and all for what?" he paused staring at her curiously. "So you can say that you at least have friends that make your life somewhat meaningful? I may be a terrible ex boyfriend who murdered scores of people and who would happily sell out my former flames, but at least I'm not some powerful witch who settles for less than she deserves and think that a comatose best friend, my deranged brother, and a lack luster boyfriend is the best that life has to offer."

Bonnie stiffened no longer comfortable with their conversation.

"You are in no position to judge me or the choices I make in my life," she said, her green eyes flashing angrily.

"Yet you can feel free to judge the choices I make concerning Elena?" he retaliated as he leaned back in his chair and stared at her with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

"I was just trying to offer you solid advice as a person who wants to be your friend," she shot back.

"No. You were sticking your nose in my buisness and trying to fix me by psychoanalyzing my complicated relationship with Elena. You can try to fix your bizarre friendship with my brother, you can try to fix your pathetic relationship with Enzo, but I'm fine. I don't need to be fixed," he said sternly.

"Fine," she snapped rising to her feet, "I made a mistake. It won't happen again."

She goes to storm out of the kitchen when he leans over and capture her wrist in his hand holding her securely in place. Bonnie stared down at him and for a brief moment she saw the look of remorse and regret on his handsome face. She expected him to apologize. She expected him to admit that he was being an ass. What he didn't expect was for what came out of his mouth next.

"You are really cute when you are all pissed off," he said mockingly as he pouted playfully.

Bonnie blinked and snatched her hand out of his grip before slapping his chest causing him to laugh deeply.

His mirth was short lived by the sound of his phone ringing.

"Yeah?" Stefan answered the phone, his voice quiet and gruff.

Bonnie watched his face twist in confusion and mild annoyance and her curiosity became peaked.

"Is there a reason why some kid name Dorian is calling my phone asking for me?" he asked pulling the phone away from his ear and narrowing his eyes at her.

Bonnie didn't respond. Instead she walked over to him and confiscated the phone before pressing it against her ears.

"Bonnie?"

"Dorian, right?" Bonnie said awkwardly.

"I know this is a strange way to meet for the first time, but Ric told me that I should give you a call so we can discuss the findings inside of the Maxwell Journal," he stammered.

Stefan rolled his eyes before walking over to the sinks where he begin to wash the kitchen utensils he had used during the commission of fixing breakfast.

"Yes. Is there anyway that we can meet today? From the little that I heard from Caroline, I would really like to learn what you have discovered sooner than later," Bonnie asked eagerly.

"Awesome, er, I mean great! I am open to whatever location you would feel comfortable meeting me at," he

The Grille was too public and Bonnie didn't want to risk anyone overhearing their conversation. There was no telling how many disciples and servants that Cade had scattered throughout the town. She didn't want to suggest her place because she didn't really know the guy to invite him into her intimate space and she didn't feel like having to explain his presence to Enzo who would more than likely be waiting for her to eventually come home. Racking her mind, her eyes widened as she settled on a location. Turning her back on her, she smiled brightly against the phone.

"Do you know the location of the Salvatore's Boarding House?" she inquired innocently.

Stefan placed the last plate inside of the dishwasher before turning to face Bonnie with a silent warning reflecting in his forest green eyes.

"You mean that big ass house on the outskirts of town?" Dorian chuckled, "Yeah, Ric pointed it out to me once when we drove past there once. I have prior engagements this morning, but I can meet with you later this evening. Is seven alright with you?"

"That actually sounds perfect. I'll see you then, Dorian."

"Okay, great. Goodbye."

"Bye."

Stefan shut the water off and drained the dish washer out of the sink making more noise than what was required of the task. Bonnie bit back a smile. It was obvious that he was more than just a little annoyed that she had invited a stranger back to his residence, and usually she wouldn't be so rude and bold, but Stefan had pissed her off earlier. The way she saw it, this was her way of getting him back.

"If you are looking for some lame rebound to get back at Enzo for cheating on you, did you really need to choose my place to serve as your little love den?" he asked wryly.

Bonnie rolled her eyes.

"First of all, we both know that I don't get down like that. Dorian works closely with Alaric and I recently learned through the grape vine that he has been studying something called the Maxwell Journal," she started.

"Boring," Stefan said in a sing song voice as he dried his dripping wet hands on a dish towel before heading to the refrigerator to retrieve another blood bag to add to his nearly empty coffee mug. "If you are so eager to have a supernatural book club meeting, do it at your place."

"Can you stop being obnoxious for one minute and just here me out?" she huffed frustrated as she planted her hands firmly on her hip. "Dorian may know how we can take down Cade and Sybil and that's very valuable information."

"You literally just got your magic back, found out your boyfriend had an affair and burned an entire house down. Don't you think you need to take some time and relax instead of playing short round to some wanna be Indiana Jones?" he sighed wearily.

"I can relax when I'm dead," she said curtly, "Once I get Sybil and Cade permanently out of our lives, you won't have to spend the rest of your life tormented by the thought of eternal damnation, Damon won't have to be Sybil's little boy toy puppet, and I get to rest knowing that Mystic Falls, and the world, no longer has the ruler of the underworld roaming free among us mere mortals. It literally is a win for everyone."

"So what exactly is the plan? To take on the devil and his bitch all by your lonesome?" he asked incredously.

Bonnie smiled brightly.

"Well not exactly," she said with a sly look on her face as she moved closer to her.

Stefan squinted at her suspiciously and he balked as he became aware of her less than subtle agenda.

"You have to be kidding me," he groaned loudly.

"I would ask Damon and Enzo to help me, but the level of trust I have with them is questionable and shaky. Caroline has to look after her family and Matt isn't exactly equipped to go up against immortals," she explained patiently as she returned to the table and rubbed her hands together as she eyed her bowl of fruit eagerly. Suddenly her appetite had returned and it was kicking full force.

"So basically you are saying that I am your last resort?" he inquired stiffly.

Bonnie spared him a look that was crossed between surprise and confusion.

"I'm saying that I have been doing you favors for the past decade and haven't really asked for much in return. The least that you can do is have my back on this," she said flatly.

"Why do I get the feeling that even if I say I want no parts of this, you won't take no for an answer?" he sighed amused.

"Because you know me well, Stefan. Plus it would really suck if I had to do this alone and ended up getting myself killed before we actually became friends," she teased causing him to snort softly.

"We wouldn't want that, now would we?" he drawled quietly as he walked behind the chair she was sitting in and planted his hands firmly on his shoulders.

"So are you in?" she asked eagerly as she tilted her head upwards to look at him.

She was surprised when he lowered his head next to hers and squeezed her shoulders gently. Pressing his lips against the shell of her ear, he grinned as he felt her shiver beneath his touch.

"I'll think about it," he murmured, "But in the meantime, be a good little witch and finish your breakfast **."**

 **End Note: Sorry. There is just something really hot about a domestic Rippah with an attitude. Oh and don't worry, Bonnie will get the chance to unwind and decompress...kind of. Anyways, I'm not sure if Dorian or Bonnie ever met seeing how they didn't have any scenes together, so just go with the flow lol. Also, the next chappie will deal with Bonnie inevitable confrontation with Damon and Enzo.**


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: Thanks for the reviews. You all warm my twattle. (In a non creepy way of course)**

 **-XO-**

The sound of dirt and leaves crunched beneath Cade's shiny black classic Men's Cap-toe Oxford shoes as he strolled through the woods with his hands behind his back. The atmosphere was filled with heavy dew and fog, and the air held a chill despite the sun attempting to spread its warmth across his hardened face. As he turned his face upwards and looked towards the cloudless sky, he inhaled deeply as he caught a strong whiff of jasmine, moldy moss and smoke lingering in the air. The one thing that Cade enjoyed the most about being back in this dimension was the ability to be one with nature. He had spent so many centuries being trapped in the underworld and ruling over the evil and wicked souls cast down from this world. Hearing the simple sounds of birds singing in the trees and feeling the gentle caress of a heavy breeze on his face bought him a small amount of joy.

As his morning stroll came to an end, he realized that the beauty of nature wasn't the only reason why he was in a semi good mood. Last night, he had hidden in the shadows on the edge of the Lockwood estate where he had a bird eye's view to Sybil and Bonnie's confrontation; one that ended with Sybil being trapped inside of the Manor while the young witch had vindictively burnt it down to the ground. He had been annoyed when he discovered that Sybil had decided to sleep with Enzo in an effort to cripple Bonnie emotionally. Despite the fact that the siren was one of the most powerful beings walking the earth, at the end of the day, Sybil still had the weakness that any human woman was plagued by. She was shallow, petty and vindictive and those qualities were going to cost her a great deal in the long run. While he had expected Bonnie to retaliate due to Sybil's trivial and manipulative tactics, he was surprised by the young witch's reaction to Sybil's act of spite. While most women would have gone off the deep end and acted in a way that would be considered a crime of passion, Bonnie had been calm, steady and righteous in her vengeance. She had revealed that she actually felt sorry for the woman who had taken liberties with her betrothed and her unexpected mercy had caught Cade completely off guard. Maybe it was because he had spent so much time dealing with the wicked, or maybe it was because he was beyond cynical when it came to finding any redeeming qualities in the human beings that still tainted this realm, but Bonnie was something he hadn't come across in quite some time. She was the opposite of wicked. She was righteous and that revelation excited him. Despite the fact that Sybil had gone off script and provoked Bonnie into an unnecessary altercation, he was confident that everything was still going according to pln. If his good fortune continued, he knew that it wouldn't be long before he got what he wanted.

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt the presence of Kai and Sybil approaching him from behind. He had summoned them earlier letting them know that their presence was required and to meet him at his current location. He could feel fear and apprehension exuding from both the heretic and the siren and Cade couldn't but smirk. A healthy dose of fear was never a bad thing. It inspired his servants to live up to his expectations and encouraged them to avoid disappointing him at all cost.

"Kai. Sybil." Cade greeted them neutrally,"Beautiful day, is it not?"

"Absolutly gorgeous," Kai smiled brightly as he shoved his fist inside of his jean pockets before rocking back and forth on his heels.

Kai's grayish blue eyes were bright and alert, his lips were parted revealing a toothy and genuine smile, and his posture showed that he was without tension and was completely relaxed. Cade didn't have to peer inside of Malachi's mind to know why he was in a good mood. Despite the fact that Bonnie clearly hated the sadistic heretic for everything that he had down to her, Kai still felt some kind of connection to her. While that connection was built off of violence, resentment and unrequited affection, it was the closest thing that that Kai had to a relationship with anyone and as sick and as perverse as it was, Kai needed to hate Bonnie as much as he needed his undead heart to beat inside of his chest. Cade knew that enlisting Kai's help in dealing with Bonnie was risky, but he counted on the fact that Kai was terrified of being dragged back to hell, so he would table whatever personal vendetta that he had against Bonnie until Cade no longer had any use for the little witch.

Speaking of people he had no futher use for...

Cade turned his attention towards the siren who was being unusually quiet and still. He watched quietly as Sybil slowly removed her Gucci black sun glasses exposing her big doe brown eyes that now carried noticeable black circles beneath them. Usually the siren would look posh and elegant with no hair out of place, but today was different. She seemed frazzled, her coloring was off, and there was a slight limp in her usually flawless gait. Not to mention that there was a scarf around her neck, and in all the time that Cade had known the vain woman, her neck had always been one of her assets that she flaunted and was most proud of. She had never bothered to cover it up until today.

"Rough night, dear?" he asked, his full lips slowly blossoming into an amused smile.

There was a noticable twitch in Sybil's right eye, but she quickly schooled her features. She knew that no good could come from her expressing her disapproval and anger over him returning Bonnie's magic which caused her to scream for several long moments while she was viciously burned alive. Not to mention the fact that she was deeply wounded over the fact that he had bestowed his ring to the annoying little witch. She knew that the immortal had his reasons for doing what he was doing, but she didn't understand why she had to be violated in the process. Not only had Cade failed to deliver on his promise to make Damon hers, but he was treating Bonnie like she was someone special, while he treated Sybil like she was a servant who was expendable. She had spent centuries serving him and doing his bidding, and at the end of other day, he made it clear that she didn't really matter to him.

"Nothing I couldn't handle," she responded with a slight edge in her voice.

"Good," he said curtly.

Kai's eyes darted between the sulking siren and the four thousand year old immoral and felt an uncomfortable tightening in his stomach. He could literally feel the heavy tension in the air and it didn't take a rocket scientist to see that Sybil was clearly pissed about what had taken place between her and Bonnie hours earlier. To put it lightly, Bonnie had handed Sybil her ass and Sybil wasn't taking the loss all too well. To be honest, Kai was surprised that Sybil had gotten physical with Bonnie after Cade had specifically given strict orders that Bonnie was off limits. That's why when Sybil had suggested Kai take on Stefan while she dealt with Bonnie, Kai had been more than happy to oblige the siren's wishes. Whatever condition the little Bennett witch had ended up in would be the result of Sybil's actions alone and Kai wanted to be able to claim that he had nothing to do with hurting Bonnie. He was already walking on eggshells due to the fact that he had escaped hell prematurely. The last thing he wanted was to piss off the person who was fickle and powerful enough to send him back.

"So...," Kai drawled slowly trying to defuse the tension, "Is there a reason why we were summoned to this creepy haunted house? Halloween isn't for a couple of months."

Cade removed his gaze from Sybil's scowling face and graced Kai with a eerie smile that made the Kai instantly regret making the lame joke.

"Step inside and all will be revealed, young Malakai," he said mysteriously before turning and walking through the threshold of the abandoned residence.

Sybil and Kai exchange a nervous look before following the immortal inside. If the Lockwood Manor had been the picture of run down, this place was the definition. The windows were all broken and light poured into the residence casting an haunting an ominous glow. Half melted candles was tucked away inside every corner of the room, and the walls pulsated with cold and supernatural energy that was the signature of dead spirits being among them.

Kai followed Sybil and Cade into the main room when suddenly, the flames on the candle wicks shot straight up while the floor boards began to tremble violently.

"I don't think that the spirts want us here," Sybil said nervously as the energy in the air became think and suffocating.

"It's because they know. They know what's going to happen." A sinister smiled stretched across Cade's full lips. "No matter how much they gnashed their teeth, and wail to the heavens, they won't be able to stop what will happen here a month from today."

Kai was preparing to ask Cade to elaborate when suddenly the ancient immortal's mouth twisted into a ugly frown and his face contorted briefly into something that looked monstrous and inhuman.

"Enough," Cade snapped angrilly as he lifted his hellish glare to the ceilings.

Almost as quickly as the chaos started, it ended abruptly.

"What is this place?" Kai asked softly as he tried to ignore the fact that the place made his skin crawl and a shiver of dread run down his spine.

"This forsaken lodge is known as the Old witch house," Cade informed as he gave them a tour of the place. "In 1760, a group of witches came here to escape persecution during the Salem Trials. They founded a small community where they thought that they would be safe. They were wrong. This location is where one-hundred witches were brutally burned to death."

Before Kai could respond, Cade closed his eyes and began to project images of the horrific event inside of Kai's head. Women and children were screaming as they fell to their knees while being burned alive. The smell of searing flesh falling away from bone and the sounds of blood curling scream overwhelmed the siren and the heretics senses. While siren was relatively undisturbed by the memory of what Cade was showing them, Kai appeared to be a little green around the gills. He have always known that witches have been one of the most persecuted and dis franchised groups in the supernatural world, but bearing witness to it caused something inside of his chest to twist violently. In that moment he felt a small twinge of guilt. It was hypocritical for him to hate the people who was behind the massacre when Kai had done practically the same thing. He had murdered his own coven in cold blood and had reveled in it unapologetically. If he could go back and changed the fact that he murdered his siblings and his entire coven, he would, but he couldn't and their deaths would haunt him with every breath that he took.

Not wanting his emotions to get the best of him, Kai shoved his guilt way down to the pits of his soul and forced himself to remain expressionless as Cade continued to speak.

"The witches who were burned here weren't just ordinary witches. They were powerful, they were legendary, they were Bennett's."

"Wait. If an entire coven full of a hundred Bennett witches were burned here, how did the blood line survive?" Kai asked perplexed.

Sybil's pretty features twisted into an ugly scowl.

"Beatrice Bennett," she spat as if the name was poisonous on her tongue.

"Sounds like you and this Beatrice weren't exactly bestie's," Kai taunted slyly.

"Why are we here, Cade?" Sybil huffed as she pointedly ignored Kai.

Cade spread his arms and grinned. "This is where Bonnie is going to be reborn. I wanted you two to see it firsthand."

"As usual, all roads lead to Bonnie Bennett," she grumbled unhappily before storming out of the Old Witch's House.

Kai and Cade followed her wordlessly.

"You seem unhappy," Cade said as the supernatural made their way into the middle of the lawn.

"I'm fine," she said coldly, making a point to keep her back facing him.

"I may be a psychic, but even if I wasn't, I would know that you were lying. You are terrible at it," he said intentionally pressing her buttons.

That seemed to do the trick. She whirled around and faced him, her face flushed with red hot anger.

Sybil huffed and clenched her fists tightly. "You let her make a fool out of me," she exploded.

Cade frowned as he placed his hands behind his back before slowly circling the trembling siren.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but the task I gave you was to use Enzo as bait in order to make Bonnie so desperate that she would be receptive to me giving her magic. Where in my masterful plan did I tell you to screw Enzo?" he asked curtly.

A slow blush spread across Sybil's feet as she shifted uneasily under the immortal's penetrating gaze.

"I- I didn't think," she stammered but was silenced when the back of his hand struck her cheek violently.

Kai immediatly tensed and took a step back fearing that he could be the next target of Cade's wrath.

"That's your problem, Sybil. You didn't think. You were too busy allowing your jealousy and spite get the best of you and things didn't work out in your favor. Now you are standing here before me feeling bitter because your actions had consequences that you didn't particularly care for," Cade murmured, "What exactly did you think that stunt was going to accomplish? You thought just because I told you that she was to be unharmed physically that you would launch emotional warfare on her?"

Sybil's hand flew to her cheek as she glared at him, her eyes filled with tears. She was injured, scorned and at the end of her rope. She was over being treated like crap and she was going to tell Cade exactly how she felt.

"You know what I think?" she snapped, no longer able or willing to mind her tongue. "I think that you have been using me all of this time. I think that you never had any intentions of keeping any of the promises to me, including the one about giving Damon over to me! I think everything that you have done this far has been in the best interest of yourself and that wretched little witch. You have spent so much time pulling my strings, that you don't even realize that little miss goody two shoes is pulling yours, so who is the real puppet master at work here, Cade? As far as I can see, you are just as pathetic as I am."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she instantly regretted them. Especially when she saw literal flames dancing on the surface of Cade's coal black orbs.

"I warned you that your jealousy will be the death of you, but you didn't listen," Cade warned with a saddened look on his dark face, "You let your vanity and selfish desires blind. You have failed me."

Sybil swallowed nervously as she struggled to lift her gaze to meet the angry one of her master. "I was always a loyal servant to you," she insisted petulantly, "I just wanted your loyalty in return."

"I have given you far too many warnings. Now you must suffer the consequences of your disobedience," Cade said coldly.

Sybil's eyes widened in horror as she heard the finality in his words.

"Come here my child," he ordered, his voice soft and gentle.

Sybil glanced at Kai who was too busy trying to make himself a smaller target.

"Do not make me repeat myself," he warned evenly.

She obeyed reluctantly and stopped walking when she was standing toe to toe with her master. Placing the palm of his hand on her forehead, he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Sybil begin to desiccate and Kai watched mortified as the siren went from being a beautiful young woman to something that appeared to be grotesque and mummified. She was clutching and scratching at her throat as she struggled to speak, but Cade was draining her immortality causing her to suffocate slowly which was a painful and brutal sort of death. As she fell to her knees, tears of black liquid began running down her leather like skin and she began to cough up clouds of ash and soot. Cade stood over her shriveled up body with his hands sunk into the pockets of his trousers and a frown marred his thick full lips. Her blood ran deep into the soil beneath his feet and her big brown eyes slowly became lifeless as her skeletal hand reached out to him for mercy. Mercy that she was not granted as her soul was dragged to hell.

"Shit," Kai mutttered as he turned his gaze away from Sybil who's rotted flesh was boiling and seeping into the earth. The smell nearly made him gagged, but against all odds he kept his composure.

"What's the matter, Malakai?" Cade inquired curiously as he wiped the bloody dagger off on the back of his linen handkerchief, "You look upset. Was it my method of killing Sybil or my reason behind it?"

Kai gulped uncomfortably. It was clear to Cade that the Gemini warlock was both troubled and terrified by what he had just witnessed. "I don't want to speak out of turn."

Cade laughed and the sound only made Kai feel even more uneasy. Sybil had been Cade's right hand person and a loyal and devoted servant for who knows how long. The fact that he could turn on her so easily did not bode well for the young heretic.

"Relax, Malachai. Sybil has served her purpose and outlived her usefulness. You on the other hand is full of promise and potential. Just do as I say and you will have nothing to fear," he promised with a deceptive smile as he clapped his hand on Kai's shoulder. "Besides, there is someone far more of a shrew and is a heartless tart when it comes to dealing with the Salvatores."

Kai was curious as to the idenity of this mystery of said woman, but he didn't have the balls to ask. Especially not after watching how Cade reacted when Sybil dared to step out of line.

"Now that I have lost a disciple, I am going to be looking for you to pick up the slack. There is a journal that I would very much like to have in my possession. Do you think you can handle the task?" Cade asked.

"Sure, Cade," Kai smiled sounding a little too cheerful and a little too eager, "Whatever you want. I'm your guy."

"Now that is what I like to here," he said grinning wickedly as he clapped his hand on Kai's shoulder causing the young heretic to grimace, "Come, Malachi. There is much work to be done. The reckoning will soon be upon us. We must be ready."

-XO-

"You can't keep me here! I have rights!"

Matt looked up from his computer to see two officers dragging Eddie Prichet, the town's notorious drunk, through the front doors of the police department.

As usual, he was dirty, his face covered in scruff, and his eyes blood red like he had just finished binge drinking a twenty four pack of Budlight. The protocol was to let him sleep it off in the drunk tank for twenty four hours and release him with a fine and a warning, but this was the third time in a week that Eddie had been bought in. Matt was beginning to think that something more drastic needed to be done to provide the troubled man some help. While most of the officers saw Eddie as a butt of some pretty harsh jokes, Matt couldn't help but have a soft spot for the man. Matt's mother had been an alcoholic and he had watched her struggle with the disease for most of his life. He recalled him and his sister Vicky having to take care of his mom by rolling her on her stomach so she wouldn't choke on her vomit while she slept, cleaning and cooking for her, and even on occasions driven her home when she had passed out at the bar after a night of heavy partying. Eddie didn't have a support system that Matt's mother did. The last he heard, Eddie's wife had divorced him and taken their kids to leave with Eddie's mother down in Florida, and Eddie's brother had completely written him off as a lost cause.

"What do you say, boss? Drunk tank again?" Deputy Jeff McCoy asked rolling his eyes as he handed Eddie off to his partner who half walked and half dragged the alcoholic towards the back of the station where the cells were located. Matt felt his gag reflexes

Matt shook his head.

"No. I actually need you to look up a rehab facility in Richmond. See if they are taking any new patients and get back to me," he requested as he slowly whirled around in the leather reclining chair he was sitting in.

Jeff frowned confused.

"It's no secret that Eddie barely has enough to cover his rent every month. You really think he has enough money to cover a stay in a in home treatment program?" he asked dubiously.

Matt narrowed his blue eyes. "Let me worry about that, Jeff. Just do what I asked, alright?"

"Yes sir," he smirked before heading over to his desk across the room with a non too happy look on his face.

Matt was prepared to get back to working on updating files in his system when the sound of yet another commotion caught his attention.

"Who is in charge here? I need to talk to the Sheriff immediatly!" a woman's shrill voice echoed through the walls of the small police department capturing the attention of every officer in the room.

Matt colbalt blue eyes scanned the room searchin for the place where the commotion was coming from. A woman who was about all of five feet tall, petite, with shocking red hair was standing in the middle of the station with a face that was attractive but overly made up. She looked like she was an extra off of the tv drama Dallas. She was wearing clothes that were way too tight and way too flash for a woman her age, and her voice distinctly reminded him off Bernadette Peters. He stifled a groan as one of the deputies pointed in his direction causing the distraught woman to come shuffling over to his desk in her six inch stiletto heels with her mouth tainted with red lipstick trembling dangerously.

"That kind young man over there told me that you are the Sheriff," she started.

Matt rose from his chair and extended his hand to the beautiful middle age woman who was starring at him pitifully.

"I'm Sheriff Donovan, but you can call me Matt," he said as the exchanged a handshake before they both took a seat.

"I'm here because something terrible has happened. My daughter, Tiffany, she went out with a couple of friends yesterday and she didn't make it home this morning. She always calls and tells me when she is going to be late, and I didn't hear from her. I'm worried and I think something may have happened to her," she said tearfully.

"I understand that you are concerned, but it hasn't been a full twenty four hours. Our policy won't permit us for filing a missing person's report until the appropriate time frame falls into place," Matt says gently.

"Do you know who I am? I am Aubrey Sharp," she popped the p on the last letter of her name, "I am the Mayor's wife and you work for my husband which means you work for me."

"Actually, ma'am," he said evenly, "I work for the people of this town. I can't just break protocol because you storm in here and demand that I do it because of you and your husband's position in this town.."

"You must have never lost anyone that you have ever cared for. You don't understand what it feels like when you know, that deep in your heart, something terrible has happened to someone you loved," she cried dabbing her eye with her handkerchief. "Why can't you just do the right thing and help me?"

Matt forced himself to stiffle a groan as he felt a minor headache coming on. It wasn't that he didn't want to find the missing girl, but he knew from past experiences that most young teens who went missing in Mystic Falls usually laid low after a night of partying in fear of coming home to angry parents. It would be a waste of resources to sound the alarm when the girl haven't been missing for a full twenty four hours. As much as Matt wanted to explain this to the Mayor's wife, he knew that his words would fall on deaf ears and that is where his headache came in. It was hard enough to deal with the Mayor Elect throwing around his power, but now he was being forced to deal with his entitled wife. Matt knew that it was best for him to tread carefully. If he offended Aubrey, the Mayor could react spitefully and cut the budget for funding the department or even try to make it harder for him to do his job by tying his hands with some political binds that would probably leave a black spot on his career as a Sheriff.

"I'm sorry," Matt murmered with as much sincerity as he could muster. "I think we may have gotten off on the wrong foot. Why don't you start from the beginning and tell me about the last time that you heard from your daughter?"

Reaching across the desk, he covered her hand with hers causing her to lift her head and stare at him sadly.

"I know that you are upset and afraid, but I am going to do everything in my power to find your daughter and bring her home. You have my word," Matt promised earnestly.

"My husband was right. You are a decent man," she sniffled squeezing his hand and offering him an apologetic smile, "I'm afraid I was a little rude to you when I first came here seeking your help. That wasn't very Christian of me, and I am so very sorry."

"No need to apologize. Fear causes people to act in strange ways. Trust me, I get it," Matt said kindly." Here's what I can do. You can write down your daughter's phone number and I can run a trace on her GPS tracker and try to pin point her that way. If for some reason that doesn't work, I will raise an alert and if she isn't found by this time tomorrow afternoon, we will form a search party. One way or another, we are going to find your daughter and bring her home."

Aubrey smiled appreciatively before drying her eyes that were starting to fill with tears again.

"You have no idea how thankful I am that you are going to do what is necessary to find my Tiffany," she sighed, "The truth was that I always worried about Tiff when we lived in the big city. She would go out with her friends and I couldn't help but worry that she would get mugged, drugged or even killed. When Brody convinced us that his political aspirations would be better served in a small town like Mystic Falls, I was happy to relocate because I just knew that my Tiffany would be safe." She paused to take a small drink of water and inhaled shakily before she continued. "When we moved here, I thought this town, this beautiful, sleepy, town would be a safe place to raise my family. Now my baby is missing and I can't help but think that I have made a terrible mistake allowing Brody to bring us here."

Matt couldn't help but feel his heart strings being tugged at as he listened to the fear and regret pouring from her words. He wanted to tell her the truth. Mystic Falls had once been a place where people could meet, fall in love, raise a family and live their version of happily ever after in a three bedroom home in the suburbs. He wanted to tell her there had once been a time where his greatest worry was whether or not he would make the football team his freshman year and if he and his first love, Elena Gilbert would be together long enough to become high school sweethearts who would eventually marry and have a bunch of babies. Matt had experience the part of Mystic Fall that had been innocent and safe and as much as he wanted to assure Aubrey Sharp that the town was capable of returning to that nirvana, he didn't have the heart to lie to her.

Fortunatly, he was saved from responding by the sound of her phone ringing.

"Hello?" she answered softly. Pause. Her face went from being sad to horrified. "I am so sorry, Diana. I completely forgot I was suppose to come by today. Don't worry, I'm in town and I'm nearby. I will be headed your way in a minute. Okay. Again...I apologize."

"Sorry about that," she said sheepishly, "The Founder's Counsel meeting is tomorrow after the church service and I almost forgot that I am in charge in bringing my famous pecan pie to be served with other baked goods."

Matt eyebrow rose curiously. "I wasn't aware that there was a meeting being held."

"Brody should have told you. I'm pretty sure that was an oversight," she reassured him softly as she rose from her chair. "Come by the church tomorrow night around eight. I'll let my husband know that we are expecting you."

Matt and Aubrey rose from their seats and exchanged a friendly handshake.

"Thank you, Sheriff. For everything," she smiled warmly before turning and heading towards the exit of the Police Department.

As he watched Aubrey walk away, he made his way over to the coffee machine and poured himself a cup before slowly becoming lost in thought. It was only a few days ago that he had the misfortune of linking the dismembered body of a missing woman to Damon. Of course the slick vampire had revealed that it was Sybil behind the grizzly murder. Now another girl was missing, the daughter of the mayor, and Matt had the sinking feeling that his investigation into her disappearance was going to lead him right to the Salvatore's doorstep. He had to bite his tongue from releasing a mouth full of explicit curse words. Protecting the town would be so much easier if Damon, Stefan and the rest of the immortal trouble makers would pack their shit and leave town for good. Everything bad that happened could usually be traced to them and innocent people somehow always ended up ensnared in their supernatural chaos. While he knew that the Founder's Counsel could serve as a means of getting rid of the vampires once and for all, that also meant that he would be driving Caroline away from the only place that she had ever called home, and where Enzo would go, Matt was more than certain that Bonnie would follow. So as much as he wanted Mystic Falls to be rid of vampires, he wouldn't do at the expense of two of his very closest friends.

As he pondered ways to neutralize the situation with the Counsel, an idea suddenly struck him causing him to grin wildly. Retrieving his phone from his pocket, he scrolled down his contact list and dialed the number of a person that he hadn't spoken to in months.

"Listen, bro. I know I shouldn't be calling you. You made it clear that you didn't want to be drag back into this mess. The truth is that things are getting out of control. Women are coming up dead and missing, immortals are endangering our friends, Kai has somehow found a way to claw his way back from the pits of hell and the Founder's Counsel is getting the band back together," Matt informed softly, " I could really use your help getting things back in order, so give me a call back when you have the chance."

 **End Note: Poor Sybil. She finally pushed Cade too far. Bye, hoe. Oh and what was up with the mysterious phone call Matt made? Dun-dun-dun...^.^ Sorry about the dramatics. I have been super hyper and energetic this week waiting for Endgame to come out. Sorry there was no Stefonnie. This chapter was written to further the plot. I promise the confrontation is in the next chapter which will be uploaded tomorrow. Happy Reading.**


	18. Chapter 18

_**AN: Enjoy.**_

 _ **-o-**_

"Here's to the bloody queen...the beloved crown jewel of England," Enzo slurred heavilly as he lifted his crystal tumbler filled with Belvedere towards the Boarding House ceiling. Taking a greedy sip, he did a small twirl in his leather black combat boots on the hardwood floors before letting out a small hiccup. "Here's to Elton John."

Swallowing another healthy gulp of the expensive Voldka, he felt his lips bull back from his gums and he winced as he felt the alcohol slowly burn a path down his throat before settling into the empty pit of her stomach. Despite the fact that it was only two o' clock in the afternoon, the broken hearted vampire was already three sheets in the had done his best to try to talk Enzo off the ledge back when they were at Bonnie's place, but now that they were here in the Boarding House, Enzo was starting to feel like he was spiraling again which had led to him turning to the warmth of the eighty proof liquor in an attempt to take the edge off. He knew that drowning his sorrows with booze was the very definition of pathetic and cliché, but he was desperate to numb the pain that was twisting like a violent hurricane inside of his undead heart. Bonnie was the only good thing that he had in his life and the thought of possibly losing her forever made him want to die in the worse way possible Bonnie had been nothing short of loyal, loving, and honest in their relationship, and how did he repay her? By crawling into the bed of another woman and having her to find out about his indiscretions which had not only devastated her, but left her feeling completely humiliated.

The heavy silence that had settled back over the living room was interrupted by the sound of his stomach growling. He hadn't fed since earlier that morning and the thought of a nice warm cup of AB negative blood was beginning to make his gums itch. Trading in his empty glass for the half full crystal decanter on the wet bar, he stumbled into the kitchen in search for blood bags to snack on. Opening the refrigerator door, he scowled deeply as he found that the shelves were empty. He was considering the option of going out and finding a living vessel to get his fix from when he suddenly remembered that they kept a hidden stash in the freezer downstairs in the basement filled wit a backup stock of blood. Whirling on his heels, he made his way out of the kitchen and stomped down the stairs leading into the dark and creepy lower ground floor. As he arrived at the bottom of the short stair case, he recoiled in disgust as the smell of decay, sweat and urine hit his nostrils. He quickly found where the unpleasant scents was coming from when his eyes fell upon a young woman locked in chains and trapped inside of the small cell. She was sitting in the corner with her legs drawn up to his chest and her chin was resting on her right knee crap. Her doll like eyes were wide but dull and her skin was pale with a light sheen of sweat covering her exposed flesh. Enzo felt the floor boards creak beneath his leather boots as he moved closer towards the prisoner. His thirst for blood was temporarily forgotten as his curiosity became peaked.

"Looks like someone is having an even worse day that I am," he observed gruffly as he stopped inches away from the bars keeping the poor girl trapped.

She slowly rose to her feet and made her way over to the door of the cell with a guarded look on her tear stained face.

"Who are you?" she asked warily.

"My name is St. Lorenzo John, but you, love, can call me Enzo," he said licking the traces of alcohol off of his bottom lip with his tongue, "Who are you?"

"I'm Tiffany," she said flashing him a tiny little smile as she wrapped her fingers tightly around the bars while starring him straight in the eyes. "Are you a vampire too?"

A dark eyebrow lifted as the creature in question continued stare at the girl curiously. For someone so young, she was very astute.

"I only asked because the people who snapped my neck and dumped me down here were vampires. Well, at least one of them were anyways," she rambled nervously, "Did they send you to finish the job? Did they send you down here to kill me?"

Enzo lifted the crystal decantar to his lip and took another pull before answering the worried girl.

"No, I'm not here to kill you. I am afraid that when it comes to doing bad things, I have officially reached my limit," he admitted with a bittersweet smile on his lips.

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she observed him closely. Obviously, she didn't trust a single word that came out of his mouth, but in her predicament, she didn't really have a choice but to pretend that she did.

"Mind if I have some of that?" she asked quietly as she stuck her arm through the bar and reached out for the bottle of liquor.

Enzo made a move to hand her the bottle but pulled it away playfully as soon as it was almost within her reach.

"You may have a taste, but only after you tell me how it is that you came to be held captive in my friend's basement," he negotiated with a lopsided smile.

Tiffany stared at him balefully before sighing heavily. Pushing away from the bars on her prison, she made her way towards the back of the cell and began to recall the events that had led up to her captive. Apparently her misfortune had started the moment she had been approached by Kai who had seemed innocent and harmless up until the moment that he had viciously stabbed her and left her a bloody mess in a parking lot. Damon and Bonnie had found her and had tried to help her, but things had gotten out of hand. Enzo noticed how the newbie vampire's voice trembled slightly as she remembered the moment where she had accidently hurt Bonnie by slashing her face with the same knife Kai had stabbed her with. Hearing that she had hurt Bonnie made Enzo tense with anger, but he forced himself to remain calm because the young girl appeared to be repentant and remorseful for her actions. Despite the fact that her hurting Bonnie had been an accident, Damon had reacted violently. While he felt sympathy for her, he couldn't blame Damon for what he had done. If he was to witness anyone harm a single hair on the hair of his beloved, he would have probably acted in the same fashion, accident or not. Tiffany revealed that one moment, Damon had rushed towards her with murder in his eyes, and the next moment, she had found herself waking up on the floor of the basement without a single clue as to where she was or why her heart was no longer beating inside of her chest.

Once she had finished her tale, Enzo found himself at a loss for words.

"I don't know what to say," he started.

"I don't need your sympathy. I need a stiff drink and to get the hell out of here," she said evenly.

Enzo nodded before slipping the crystal decanter through the bars. "Well one out of two isn't bad."

Tiffany rolled her eyes before grasping the decantar between her fingers and lifting it to her mouth. Seconds later Tiffany hurled the bottle of vodka across the cell causing it to shatter into a thousand tiny pieces. Her face was twisted with fury and confusion and her hands were balled into tiny fists.

"That decantar wasn't exactly mine, but you probably aren't too concerned about the possessions of a man who put you in this position, so let's just call that an accident, shall we?" Enzo suggested as he watched her with an amused smile.

"I'm sorrry. I didn't mean to do that," she whispered brokenly, "I'm just so thirsty."

Enzo felt a mixture of sympathy and sadness for the girl. "That's because your thirst you feel is not something you are accustomed to. There is only one thing that will quench your thirst. You need blood."

Walking over to the cooler, he felt the cool air brush across his face as he reached inside and retrieve a bag for Tiffany and a bag for himself. He knew that by feeding the newbie vampire, he would be responsible for her completing her transition, but what other chose did he have? She shouldn't have to starve and suffer because she had the misfortune of being targeted by Kai.

"Why are you doing this? Why are you helping me?" she asked quietly as she watched him make his way back over to the cell.

Enzo sighed as he struggled to find a way to explain his motives to the girl. The truth was that it pained him to know that she had suffered such a miserable fate at such a young age and he knew that Kai's involvement would wear heavily on Bonnie's shoulders. Even though Tiffany's predicament was nowhere close to being Bonnie's fault, he knew his girl well enough to know that she would no doubt feel guilty about this and carry it with her like she carried around the burdens of all the terrible and tragic things that happen to good and innocent people in that god forsaken town. He realized that if he could somehow find a way to make sure that Tiffany made it through her transition safe and of a sound mind, maybe Bonnie would feel less guilt over the situation. The fact that he assisted the newbie vampire would appeal to Bonnie's forgiving nature and she would be more incline to be lenient when considering whether or not to dissolve their relationship

"By helping you, I am hoping that maybe my girlfriend, Bonnie, would remember that I am not that bad of a person and if I'm lucky, maybe she will give me a second chance," he said softly. "I made a pretty big mess of things and I really need her to forgive me."

Tiffany eyed balled the blood bag clutched in Enzo's hand, and while she felt annoying sharp hunger pangs in her stomach, she was more interested in finding out what the sad eyed vampire did to piss off his girlfriend. She knew it wasn't proper to put her nose in other people's business and her biggest concern should be how she would process being a newly turned vampire, but at the end of the day, she was still a teenage girl, and teenagers loved drama.

"Wait. Bonnie is your girlfriend?" she asked surprised. "I thought she was involved with the asshole with the crazy blue eyes."

Enzo snorted rudely as he rolled his eyes.

"You are right on the account that Damon is indeed a jack ass, but you are wrong to think that Bonnie is his girl. She's mine," he corrected tersely.

Tiffany smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. I just assumed they were a couple because of how they were together." She paused briefly before continuing. "When Bonnie found out that the guy who did this to me was alive, she freaked. I mean she was so affected that for a moment, she forgot I was bleeding out on the ground. I guess I can't really fault her for that. From the way it sounded, he did some horrible things to her. I saw how Damon consoled her, and it looked like he is really protective of her. He promised to keep her safe and it wasn't what he said that caught my attention. It was how he said it. Like he was vowing to defend a woman that he loved."

Enzo could feel the familiar sting of jealousy and resentment burning inside of his chest.

"You are a kid," the brown eyed vampire spat venomously, his hand shaking involuntarily. "You know nothing!"

His anger was so palpable and intense that he wasn't aware that he had crushed both of the blood bags until he felt the cold liquid oozing through his fingers and slowly trickling onto the floor.

Tiffany watched as the vampire's eyes darkened and his mouth twist into an ugly frown that marred his handsome face. Without meaning to, she had inserted her foot into her mouth. She watched as he slung the now empty bags of blood across the room before making his way back to the deep freezer to retrieve more. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset. If it makes you feel better, I think she is better off with you rather than Damon. Damon snapped my neck and left me down here without a single care in the world for my well being. At least you are making the effort to be nice to me. That shows me you are a far better person than he is."

Her words did little to soothe the rage simmering beneath the surface of the pissed off vampire. In fact, her apology, as sincere as it was, was like trying to apply healing balm to a deep wound that was infected with resentment and anger and showed no signs of recovery. As much as he tried to show that he was completely supportive of Bonnie and Damon's close friendship, there was always a small and insecure part of him that was threatened by it. Whenever he would watch them interact with one another, he couldn't help but wonder if there was unresolved feelings simmering beneath the surface. Damon knew just the right amount of flirtation he could get away before Bonnie firmly placed him back in his lane and Bonnie pretended to not be moved by his forwardness, but he would always notice the little shy smiles she tried to hide and the sound of heart skipping a beat whenever Damon would actually say something heartfelt and sincere. Even though the little interactions bothered him, he knew in his hearts of hearts that neither one of them would cross the line and do anything inappropriate. In that moment, he felt foolish and guilty for even allowing himself to make Bonnie and Damon's relationship an he was being honest with himself, he would admit that the annoyance that he suddenly felt towards Damon was just a way for him to deflect from the self loathing and guilt he was currently wallowing in.

"So what did you do?" she asked bluntly.

"What?" Enzo grumbled as he was pulled out of his dark train of thoughts.

"You said that you are only helping me to prove to your girlfriend that you aren't a bad person. What exactly did you to get on her bad side?" she asked curiously.

Usually Enzo would have balked at a stranger taking intrest in his personal affairs, but at that moment, he was pretty drunk and didn't mind bending a sympathetic ear.

"I lied to my girl and she caught me in a rather compromising position," he said quietly as he swallowed the lump of tears that form in the back of his throat. "If I could take it all back, I would, but I can't."

Tiffany studied him quietly as she toyed with the blood bag in her hand.

"Sucks to be you," Tiffany said bluntly as she accepted the blood bag.

Enzo could only smirk in amusement at her less than empathetic reaction. That smirk slowly disappeared when she whimpered in pain as she felt her fangs slowly began to emerge from her gums.

"It's okay. What you are feeling is suppose to happen. Don't fight it," Enzo advised softly.

Tiffany nodded and closed her eyes as she struggled to mentally process the changes that were happening to her physically. As tears pebbled in the corner of her eyes, she latched down on the bag and began to drink the cold blood with a look of disgust mixed with relief on her young, pretty face.

Enzo smirked at her callousness as he watch her gulp down the cold blood with a look of serenity on her young, pretty face. Suddenly she began to cough as she began to cough causing crimson spots to splattered across Enzo's pale face.

"Easy, love, easy," he coached gently as he reached between the bars and caressed the side of her face gently.

His ministrations was so soothing and comforting that Tiffany felt herself instantly becoming more calm and feeling more at ease. Bringing the bag back to her lips, she began to take smaller and slower sips of blood. Enzo felt the corners of his lips turn up into a smile as he watched the color slowly begin to return to her face. Tiffany was so enthralled with the feeling of blood warming her system and Enzo was so buzzed from the alcohol and the thought of getting back on Bonnie's good side that neither of them heard the footsteps coming down the stair case until the sound of someone clearing their throat broke the spell between them. Enzo's hand fell from Tiffany's cheek as he turned around to find Damon standing behind him with a suspicious look on his face. Tiffany bared her fangs at him earning her a unimpressed look from the blue eyed vampire.

"You would think that after last night's little fiasco, you would have learned your lesson about being hands on with women who aren't your girlfriend," Damon said with a slight edge in his voice as he glowered at the tipsy vampire who had the decency to look remorseful.

"I was just showing a little mercy to your latest prisoner. I know all too well what it's like to be held captive by a murderous psychopath," he slurred revealing his inebriated stated.

His malicious dig didn't go unnoticed by Damon who decided to let it go for the time being. The fact that he was a murderous psychopath was a half truth. Damon did have quite the body count under his belt, but he would like to think that his day of being a psychopath was behind him. He was preparing to express this point to Enzo, but decided that now was not the time or place to squabble over something trivial. It was obvious that Enzo was down in out in a bad way, and engaging him in any kind of conversation would completely and utterly pointless. Instead, Damon plastered on a smile as he slowly approached the swaying vampire with his hands held up in mock surrender. He knew that Enzo could be volatile and unpredictable when he was in a drunken state, and the last thing he wanted Enzo to think was that he was a threat to him.

"Listen, man. I have been where you are right now. I have tied one on and woke up to only do it all over again. Let me tell you that it's not worth it," he tried gently, "Bonnie can show up at any given moment and do you really think it's going to help your relationship if she finds you in this state of mind?"

Enzo shrugged miserably as he belched causing Damon face to twist in disgust.

"What does it matter any way, mate? She saw me with having relations with a woman that she despise. I betrayed her. She's never going to forgive me," he said unhappily.

Damon fought the urge to roll his eyes. It seemed like he spent the entire day having the same conversation over and over with the beleaguered vampire. One minute Damon was convinced that he had succeeded in reviving hope in Enzo that his relationship could be saved and the next, Enzo was moping and imagining every doom and gloom scenario that involved his relationship at the epicenter. At this point, Damon realized that there was nothing he could do or say to make the broken hearted man feel better, so the best thing he could do was to suggest that Enzo sleep it off and sober up. He would try reasoning with him once he sobered up and had a clear mind.

"Come on. Let's get you into bed," Damon grunted placing Enzo's arm over his shoulder before wrapping his own arm around his drunk friend's waist and steering him towards the step.

"Sorry, mate. You're not my type," Enzo mumbled drunkenly causing Damon to roll his eyes.

"Cute," Damon said drolly as they made their way slowly up the stairs.

As Tiffany watched as Damon and Enzo from the basement, she couldn't help but replay their entire conversation in his head. It was clear that despite the animosity between the two vampires, the two shared some sort of alliance. She couldn't help but wonder if that alliance resolved around a certain woman that both men seemed to care a great deal about. From what Tiffany saw back in the parking lot before her life had been prematurely snuffed out, Bonnie was a good person. She had been adamant about helping her even when Damon made it seem like she wasn't worth the effort. Maybe if she could get some face time with Bonnie, she could somehow convince her that she wasn't a threat to them. If she promised to keep her mouth closed about the part they played in her untimely death and her transition into vampirism, maybe they would let her go. One way or another, Tiffany knew that she had to find some way to get the hell out of the basement and return back to her life. She missed her friends, her social life, but most of all, she missed her parents. The sooner that she could get back to everything she loved and cared about, the sooner she could start trying to navigate living a life as a member of the night walking community.

Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back against the concrete wall and began to formulate a plan that would secure her freedom.

 **_-XO-_**

Bonnie fidgeted nervously in the passanger seat as Stefan slowly pulled his Porsche into the Boarding House's driveway. Once he was parked securely in his spot next to Damon's Camaro, he killed the engine before quietly removing the key from the ignition. As the witch and the vampire made their way out of the vehicle and headed towards the front door, Bonnie felt her stomach do cartwheels while her palms began to grow sweaty from perspiration as she recalled the decision that she had made earlier that day. After she had concluded breakfast at the Forbes residence, they had spent a couple of hours watching mind numbing reality tv before they decided to take a ride out to her place. While her Prius had been parked outside of her house, Enzo was nowhere to be found, much to Bonnie's relief. Knowing that she was in a weird place in her relationship with Enzo, Stefan had suggested that she packed a bag and crashed at the Boarding House so she could have as much space and time to figure out what she wanted to do. When Bonnie had declined weakly stating that she didn't want to intrude on his personal space, Stefan had insisted. Bonnie had reluctantly agreed, but only after Stefan had promised that he would be on his best behavior and keep his hands and lips to himself.

Now that they had arrived at her temporary place of residence, she was beginning to have second thoughts. Living under the same roof with Stefan meant that Bonnie would have to deal with her inevitable confrontation with Damon, and after the horrible night she had, the last thing she wanted to do was throw down with her best friend. However, she knew that she couldn't let his lies and deception go unchecked. Their entire friendship had been built on Damon screwing up and her forcing him to be accountable. Why change their dynamic now? The fact that this was a constant issue in their friendship was making her feel emotionally exhausted and resentful. While she knew that she would eventually move past this obstacle in their relationship, she wasn't so eager to forgive him. She had spent so much time convincing herself that Damon had truly changed for the better that she hadn't realized that she had been viewing him through very biased rose colored glasses. The truth was that Damon would lie, cheat and steal if it was in his best interest, and usually that best interest wore a face that answered to the name Elena Gilbert. Damon hadn't changed at all. He just became better at hiding who and what he was.

"Are you waiting for an invintation to come inside?" Stefan's lazy voice broke her out of her pensive state.

Bonnie lifted her head to see that while Stefan had already crossed over the threshold and was standing in the middle of the foyer, she was still standing on the doormat feeling conflicted. Forcing a smile, she walked into the Boarding House with an invisible gray rain cloud hovering over her head. Stefan watched as she slowly made her way towards him with a distraught look on her pretty face. Because they had exchange blood the previous night, he could feel her apprehension and anxiety that was practically radiating from her pores. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Bonnie was upset about having to face Damon. Stefan felt a twinge of sympathy for the unhappy witch because he had been in her shoes more times then he could count. There had been many incidents where Damon had crossed Stefan and pushed him to the point where the younger vampire wanted to cut his older sibling out of his life forever, and there were times where he actually tried. Somehow Damon would find a way to weasel his way back into Stefan's orbit, and for some reason Stefan allowed it. Deep down he knew that he always let him back because he rather spend an eternity of misery with a brother that he sometimes hated rather spending an eternity alone. All Stefan knew was that no matter if he loved him one moment or wanted to kill him the next, Stefan always couldn't see himself without a life with his brother. He had a feeling Bonnie would sadly arrive at the same conclusion.

"Hey, look at me," he murmered he coaxed, as he rested his hands on her shoulders. Bonnie obeyed reluctantly and he stared straight into her dull green eyes with a small smile on his lips. "All that doubt, fear and anger coursing through you right now, I've been there. Don't shy away from what you feel. Lean into it. You can despise Damon for what he did and still care about him. Just know that if you chose to forgive him, or if you break ties with him...I will support whatever decision you make."

He was surprised when she moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him into an unexpected hug. A genuine smile blossomed across his face as he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tightly. It was the second time that day that she had embraced him, and he could secretly admit that he could get use to the small display of affection. Even though there was nothing sexual about the way she initiated physical contact with him, he still couldn't help but appreciate the warmth that spread through him just from being close to her. As he rubbed small circles in her lower back, he could feel the anxiety slowly fading away and was being replaced by a sense of relief. It was clear that Bonnie was learning that it was okay for her to seek shelter in his arms and find the comfort she needed. His quiet observation him feel both touched and felt touched because it meant that she was slowly coming around to the concept of trusting him, and it made him feel nervous because he knew that he was more than capable of disappointing her and letting her down, and that was the last thing he wanted to do.

As they broke thier embrace, Stefan stared down at her offering a small smile.

"Feel better?" he asked huskily.

"A little," she admitted appreciatively, "Thanks, Stefan."

"Anytime, Bennett," he murmered before tugging lightly on random strand of a chocolate curl hanging loosely near her cheek. The strand of hair wasn't misplaced. He just secretly wanted a reason to touch her again. Stefan knew that he made her promise that he would be on his behavior, but he was quickly beginning to realize that was going to be easier said than done.

"Well would you look at what the cat dragged in."

Bonnie felt her entire body tense as she tore her gaze away from Stefan and reluctantly gave her attention to the snarky vampire that casually strolled into the living room. Damon was wearing a burgundy Hensley long sleeve shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His pants were a dark denim blue jean and his feet adorned his classic and trademark combat black leather boots. As usual, his raven hair was perfectly styled where a few black strands fell across his pale forehead and there was a lazy smile that stretched across his lips. His attractiveness was enough to make any red blooded woman forgive him of any and all of his sins and transgressions right there on the spot, but Bonnie had been around Damon long enough and was practically immune to his physical charm. However, when he made his way into her personal space, and her nostrils filled with the scent of his delicious cologne mixed with his natural musk, it took everything inside of her not to shudder in appreciation. If there was one thing she admit to enjoying the most about her best friend, it was the fact that he always smelled incredible.

Damon trained his laser gaze onto Stefan who was standing behind Bonnie like some over bearing body guard with a devil may care look on his face. He had a snarky comment on the tip of his tongue, but he decided to ignore his brother in favor of giving his attention to Bonnie who was doing everything she could not to look him in the eye.

"I take it from that judgey look on your face that you aren't too happy with me right now," he stated softly as he penetrated her with his gaze.

"No shit, Sherlock," Stefan snorted sarcastically as he rolled his eyes.

The two vampires locked eyes and Bonnie felt her stomach lurch when she noticed that Damon's beautiful orbs were darker than normal which indicated that he was in an unpredictable mood.

"You might want to put a muzzle on your shady little sidekick, Bon Bon. I'm not in the mood for his bullshit. Especially not after the stunt that he pulled with Elena," Damon warned brusquely.

Bonnie narrowed her eyes as she felt heat flare through her.

"That's funny because I'm not in the mood to listen to whatever words that are going to coming falling out of that hole in your face after the stunt you pulled, yet here we are," she deadpanned before looking around the living room with a frown. "Where's Enzo? He wasn't around when I went home, so I figured he would be here with you," she asked tersely.

"He's upstairs sleeping. He may or may have not gotten a little shit faced," he confessed with a tight smile.

Bonnie snorted and rolled her eyes. "Of course he did. That's how you tend to deal with your issues." Her face hardened as she turned away from him and stared out the window to floor ceiling trying not to let her anger get the best of her. "It's not like I don't have enough crap on my plate. You just thought it would be fun just to pile on by adding a drunk, lying, cheating boyfriend to the mix? Thanks bestie." She spat out the last word like it was poison.

 _Ding. Ding. Round one,_ Damon thought to himself as he felt Bonnie's words land a solid verbal punch to his undead heart.

"You can blame me for a lot of things, Bon, but I had absolutely nothing with Enzo diving down into a bottle to self medicate. That was a decision he made all on his own," Damon said defensively

"Much like his decision to sleep with Sybil and lie to me about it," she said, her voice hard and cold. She folded her arms across her petite chest before turning away from the window and starring Damon down with a look that made him both nervous and uneasy. "Did you know about his affair with Sybil? Was that another thing that you conveniently kept from me?"

Damon's top lip curled up into an unimpressed sneer. He knew that when Bonnie would come to confront him because of his deceit, she would come at him with both barrels blazing. He didn't really blame her. After all, he more than deserved her scorn and wrath. What he didn't deserve was being blamed for something that he had nothing to do with. "I heard through the grape vine how devastated you were when you learned that Jeremy had cheated on you with the ghost of his ex girlfriend. Do you honestly think that I would keep something like that a secret knowing that it would make you feel? I know that you are angry and think low of me, but for you to think that I am capable of being that callous...that wounds me, Bon Bon."

Bonnie could hear the genuine hurt in his voice and a part of her felt bad for him, but that momentarily sting of remorse came and went in seconds. She snapped, "I didn't think you were capable of keeping the fact that Enzo was being held hostage by a psychopathic siren, yet here we are."

"I'm sorry, Bon," he practically whined, his words laced with frustration.

"I don't believe you," she hissed as her eyes cut into him like a sharp razor blade.

Without any preamble, Damon grabbed Bonnie by the crook of her arm and pulling her towards the middle of the living room. Despite her protest and light struggling, he didn't release her until they were standing in front of the coffee table that held a vase filled with gorgeous tiger lilies. "I know that you think that all I have to offer is empty apologies and meaningless excuse, but that simply isn't true." He insisted through clenched teeth."If I didn't honestly feel bad about what happened, would I have gone all the way to Richmond to find a florist that had your favorite flower?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes in exasperation and Stefan began to chuckle softly.

Damon bristled noticably. He had just made a very sincere and heartfelt apology. The fact that Bonnie wasn't even buying and Stefan was laughing at him made him feel both hurt and defensive.

"Care to fill the class in on what it is that you find so amusing, brother?" Damon inquired glaring at Stefan. His voice was so hard and cold that Bonnie could practically hear icicles dripping from them.

"I'm laughing because she never liked Tiger lilies. Her favorite flower is the Blue Moon Lotus," Stefan said matter of factly causing Bonnie to stare at him surprised. She could count on one one hand how many people knew that the Blue Moon Lotus was her favorite. Caroline, Elena, and Enzo. The fact that Stefan was now added to that list caused her heart to swell slightly.

"How do you even know that?" Damon asked suspiciously.

"How do you think? It's the same way I know that she likes to talk to herself when she think she is alone, or how I know that she is a secret fan of Dane Cook and she likes to listen to Stevie Wonder when it rains. I knew that the lotus flower was her favorite flower because she use to doodle it across her notebooks in high school. It's not hard to know these things if you actually took the time to pay attention to someone you claim to be your best friend," he sighed as he reached down and plucked one of the tiger lilies from the vase and inhaled its fragrance deeply. While Damon glowered at his younger brother murderously, Bonnie felt a warm smile slowly spread across her face. Stefan may have had his humanity in a precarious position, but in that moment, he showed signs of the old Stefan. The one who had once been her friend and who had been observant of her whether she had realized it or not.

Meanwhile, Damon couldn't help but feel like he was two feet tall, but he wasn't about to let his brother or his best friend see him truth was that while Stefan was knowledgeable on superficial things involving the little witch, Damon knew things that were far more intimate than her taste in music or her favorite flower. He knew that whenever Bonnie was feeling depressed, she would cuddle up with Peppermint tea, Miss Cuddles, and flipped through old family albums. He remember the deeply personal way she had confided in him when she talked to him about her first experience with magic, and he could never forget how she had poured her heart out to him in the Prison World when she had talked about having absentee parents affected her, something she never revealed to anyone. Damon may have missed the mark on some of the things that Bonnie liked, but when it come to things and people that she loved, he knew her better than anyone. Secure in that revelation, Damon decided to forgo engaging in a pissing contest with Stefan over who knew Bonnie better, and opted instead to forge ahead with his apology.

"Okay, so I don't know what your favorite flower is and I may have forgotten how you take your coffee, but there is one thing I know for sure. You are one of the most important people in my life," Damon exhaled deeply before continuing." There isn't anything that I wouldn't do to keep you safe and that includes lying. I am sorry that you feel like I betrayed you, but you have to know that I did what I did to protect you. I get that you are super pissed at me, but I need you and I to be okay with each other because I hate when we are not in sync. I need you to forgive me."

"He's good," Bonnie thought to herself as she stared the apologetic vampire down evenly. His words were sincere enough, he managed to make his handsome face reflect repentance, and his eyes was filled with tenderness, but she wasn't willing to forgive him so easily.

"You really think that just because you speak softly and give me your trademark puppy dog face that I am going to cave? Your lie could have cost Enzo his life," she growled.

"You have to believe me when I say that I wasn't going to let anything happen to Enzo. I lied to you so I could protect you and buy some time to figure out how to handle the situation," he protested desperately.

"That's not a good enough explanation. I'm not some weak and fragile chick who needs to be handled and protected. Enzo is my boyfriend, and the closest thing I have to a family. He is my responsibility," she thundered emotionally as she poked her index finger into his solid chest as she scolded him. "You had no right whatsoever to keep me in the dark about something so serious. If anything would have happened to him, I would have never forgiven you."

"If I would have told you and you put yourself in a position for Sybil to hurt you, I would have never forgiven myself. In this case I felt that it was better for all parties involved if I apologized later rather than ask permission first,' he said stubbornly.

Bonnie eyes wided and she felt a new wave of anger flare inside of her. "You can't claim to be sorry and turn around and say some shit like that."

"Of course he can," Stefan exclaimed, "He wouldn't be the self serving, arrogant asshole that we all know and abhor if he didn't."

"What is this? Gang up on Damon day? I said I was sorry," Damon said heatedly.

"Well maybe your hollow apology isn't good enough anymore. Did you ever stop to think that maybe, just maybe, there is a limit on how much backstabbing behavior Bonnie is willing to take from you?" Stefan inquired stiffly as he dropped the tiger lily back inside of the vase before crossing his arms over his chest and arching a bushy eyebrow slightly. "You are lucky that she even forgave you for that coward move you pulled when you decided to crawl into the a coffin and desiccated because you simply didn't know how to be a man without Elena holding your balls in a vice grip."

Damon felt like ice was running through his veins as he glared murderously at his younger brother. He tried to remember that Stefan's humanity switch was stuck between being on and off and t

hat was the reason why he was being an callous prick, but the rage inside of him wanted to beat his ass regardless. Humanity or not, Stefan had endangered Elena, and now Stefan was inserting himself between him and Bonnie, and Damon knew that he had to draw the line somewhere.

"Careful, Stefan," Bonnie warned softly. While she may have been angry with Damon, Bonnie knew that it wasn't wise to press his buttons by throwing Elena in his face. She had watched her best friend kill people for less.

Stefan's face twisted in displeasure. "Just because you decided to take it easy on Damon doesn't mean that I have to. He is just standing there feeding you bullshit and he knows that you are just going to gobble it all up. We both know that if he had a chance to go back and do it all over again, he would because that's who he is. A selfish bastard who would lie and would commit any and all despicable acts to get whatever he wants and he doesn't care who he hurts in the process."

"You said that you would support whatever decision I decide to make. I need you to give me space to figure things out," Bonnie said gently.

"I just don't want to sit by and watch him play you," he said heatedly.

Bonnie cocked her head to the side slightly and stared up at the brooding caramel haired vampire with a bemused smile on her face. It was sweet, in a odd sort of way, that Stefan felt the need to protect her from Damon's emotional manipulation, but Bonnie had years of experience dealing and handling Damon.

"If I was able to resist falling under your spell, I can resist your brother who is far more charming," Bonnie teased causing him to shoot her a dirty look. The reminder of what had almost taken place earlier that day when he had woken up in bed with Bonnie came rushing back to Stefan. As his face softened, another part of his anatomy was starting to get hard. He knew that it wasn't the ideal time or place to recall how Bonnie's supple body had felt pressed up against his, but he couldn't help it. It was hard to banish that sexy moment to the back of his mind. Especially when she was starring up at him patiently with a pretty pout on her full lips. The young witch smiled reassuringly as she rested a hand on his arm in an attempt to soothe him, "Trust me. I got this."

Damon watch the silence exchange taking place between Bonnie and his brother and he clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. There was a new tension between them that hadn't been there before. Stefan was standing a little too close to Bonnie, and Bonnie seemed a little too comfortable with him invading her space. The sexual tension was subtle but it was undeniable and Damon didn't like. He didn't like it at all.

He cleared his throat loudly directing their heated gaze towards each other back to him.

"Maybe you should give me and Bon Bon a moment. Alone," Damon suggested flatly.

Stefan snorted rudely. "Nice try. I'm not going anywhere."

Damon's jaw ticked as he struggled to control his temper. "The only reason why I haven't lit your ass up for the stunt that you pulled with handing Elena over to Sybil is because I know that Bonnie wouldn't approve, and I'm actually trying to show her that I am willing to put aside personal grievances in order to make things right between us," Damon informed, his voice soft and deceptively calm, "However, if you insist on pushing my buttons, I have no problem handing you your ass right here, right now."

"I'm not exactly on the bunny diet at the moment, Damon, so if you think handing me my ass is going to be a walk in the park, you got another thing coming," Stefan said coldly.

Stefan and Damon glared at each as they both were touch by a sense of deja vu. Despite the fact that neither brother had any rightful claims to her, it didn't stop them from trying to keep the other from poaching on what they considered their territory. This wasn't the first time that a woman served as a source of conflict between the two brothers and they both were all too familiar with this particular song and dance. Stefan finds himself attracted to a woman, Stefan attempts to pursue said woman, and Damon comes riding in on his fuck it all up pony and cause unrepairable mass destruction to whatever fragile relationship Stefan was trying to nurture. It was a tale as old as time, only Stefan was tired of reliving the same played out drama over and over again. Stefan thought that once he had lost Elena's heart to Damon, his older brother would have the decency to put an end to the silent war between them. With Elena being trapped inside a magical coma, Damon was left all and alone and now was back to his old and cheap trips of robbing Stefan of the opportunity to develop a genuine friendship with a woman. While the old Stefan might have backed down and allowed Damon to assert his non existent hold over the little witch, the new and improved Stefan was not about to let that happen.

As the hostility between the eternal stud and the Rippah began to mount steadily, Bonnie swallowed nervously as she began to subconsciously play with the slit ends of the hair hanging over her right shoulder. She could practically taste the turmoil and violence settling in the air, and she knew that it was only a matter of time before both men came to blows. The tension caused the magic inside of her to churn impatiently, and the air became electrified causing Damon to tear his gaze away from Stefan before staring at Bonnie sharply. He knew what that surge of mystical energy meant. It meant that whenever Bonnie wielded her power, the people on the opposite end of it was going to have a very bad day.

"Enzo mentioned that you are throwing your witchey weight around in these supernatural streets. Care to tell me how you manage to become Bonica Magica 2.0?" the raven haired vampire asked narrowing his eyes at her suspiciously.

Bonnie wanted to get mad at Damon for calling her that dreadful nickname, but she was just glad that the two vampires were no longer focused on causing each other any physical harm.

"Cade came to me after I learned that Enzo had been taken captive by Sybil. He offered me a deal. He would restore my magic by gifting me with this ring," she started quietly. Damon felt his mouth grow dry. He didn't like the direction this conversation was going. Apparently Bonnie sensed that because she looked rather reluctant to finish her tale. Stalking towards her, he took her chin between this thumb and index finger before gently tilting her head back so that he could stare straight into her guilt filled verdant eyes. "What did you promise him in return?" he pressed worried. Bonnie teased her bottom lip between her upper teeth. "He just wanted me to assure him that if he and when he needs my assistance in the future, I would show him the same generosity that he showed me."

"Let me get this straight." Damon's voice may have been soft and calmed, but the storm raging inside of his ice blue eyes was anything but. "You made an open end deal with the devil? Do you have any idea how incredibly stupid that was?"

His words cut Bonnie deeply and she glared at him feeling resentment and anger.

"I did what was necessary to save Enzo. You can belittle me all you want, but what's done is done," she snapped.

"Well, we are just going to have to find a way to undo it, now won't we?" Damon snarled. Before Bonnie could react, Damon grabbed her wrists and began to twist the ancient piece of jewelry off her finger. She grimaced as she felt the metal digging into her flesh causing her to feel a mixture of discomfort and pain.

"Damon, stop. No matter how much you tug at it, it's not coming off," she protested anxiously.

Feeling frusterated, Damon released her wrist and watched with some regret as she cradled her injured finger with an pained expression on her face. Stefan walked over to Bonnie and gently took her hand inside of his and examined the ring closely.

"Mind if I give it a try? My idiotic brother doesn't realize that certain situations require a gentle and expert touch," Stefan murmured as he gently rubbed circles over her middle knuckle with his thumb. Before she had the chance to respond, he casually slipped the finger with the ring inside of mouth causing her to gasp startled. Clenching his teeth down around the mystical talisman, he began to tug lightly trying to get it loose. The action was rough and caused Bonnie to cringe, but he quickly soothed her discomfort by seductively using his tongue to swirl around the piece of metal while applying gentle suction causing the digit to completely sink past his lips. As Stefan's forest green eyes bored deeply into her, Bonnie felt a slow blush crawl through out her entire body. Stefan's attempt to remove the ring was innocent enough, but to Damon, the entire scene looked completely obscene. If looks could kill, the glare that he was shooting in Bonnie's and Stefan's direction would have incinerated them on the spot.

Bonnie cleared her throat and quickly retrieved her finger from the captivity of Stefan's mouth and wiped her hand on the back of her shorts.

"Was that really necessary?" Damon griped looking incredibly annoyed.

"What?" Stefan blinked innocently. "I was simply trying to help."

"You could have used soap and water. It would have been more appropriate, more sanitary, not to mention a little less creepy," he said haughtily. Stefan grinned wolfishly before turning his gaze from his seething brother back to the flustered Bennett witch who seemed to take a great interest in her shoes for some reason. "I didn't hear Bonnie complaining."

Damon surpressed a growl before turning back to face his brother. "That's not surprising seeing how you obviously didn't hear her using bad judgement when she was negotiating with Cade. Now she is stuck with that tacky piece of jewelry on her finger until Cade comes to collect her debt. Where exactly were you when all of this was going down?"

Stefan frowned. "Bonnie's not a child, Damon. She is capable of making her own decisions, and it's not my job to hold her hand while she does that. Besides, I was off nabbing Elena so that I could make the exchange to get Enzo back. Maybe if you handed the comatose bitch over to Sybil like she demanded in the first place, Bonnie wouldn't have been put in a position to play let's make a deal with the devil."

Hearing his brother refer to Elena in a derogatory way made the blue eyed vampire's blood boil. Without any warning, he made a threatning move in Stefan's direction but Bonnie acted quickly and blocked his path nearly causing his body to collide against hers.

"I get that you are trying to be Switzerland here but this isn't an afterschool special where you can play charming peace maker," he snapped "Now, move!"

"Take your best shot, brother. I dare you," Stefan taunted spreading his arms wide and inviting Damon to throw the first punch.

Bonnie stood in between them and listened as they traded explicit and rather graphic threats in a mixture of English and Italian. Reaching up, she massaged her temples as she felt the tall tale sign of a vicious headache coming on. She didn't know how women found this kinda barbaric behavior a turn on. How the hell did Elena manage to deal with two bickering vampires treating her like she was some chew toy or some possession that needed claiming? Bonnie was smart enough to know that while on the surface, the brothers was using her as territory that they were eager to mark in more ways than one, deep down their issues were far more complicated. Their whole brotherhood relationship was built on betrayal, resentment, and the horrible fate of falling in love with the same woman not once, but twice. Bonnie felt sympathy for their tragic plight, but she would be damned if she let the cycle repeat itself a third time with her being stuck in the middle.

"Guys enough," Bonnie groaned exasperated.

Damon blue eyes flashed wildly as he turned his glare on the stoic little witch who was standing with one hand pressed against his chest and the other pressed against Stefan's.

"He just referred to your best friend, my girlfriend, as a bitch and actually had the nerve to boast about how happy he was to hand her over to Sybil. You are going to stand there and tell me that you are okay with that?" Damon breathed incredously.

"No. I'm not," Bonnie growled defensively, "Damon, I know that you are pissed off at Stefan and you have every right to be. I don't condone his actions and you have to know that jeopardizing Elena's safety for Enzo was the last thing I would ever want or ever do. When I found out what he did, I was just as angry as you were, but he did what he did because he felt like there was no other option at the time. He made the wrong move for the right reason, and I know some small part of you understands that."

Damon recoiled and Bonnie braced herself as she watched her best friend's face twist into a murderous scowl.

"I will never understand putting Elena in that position, no matter how you try to sugar coat! You are so busy trying to justify Stefan's actions that you don't even realize that if Stefan had never put Elena in harm's way, Sybil would have never given Enzo an ultimatum," Damon said coldly, "You are literally siding with the man who's actions led to your precious little boyfriend doing the nasty with another woman."

If she had been a cartoon character, she was pretty sure smoke would have been coming out of her ears by now. Her right eye twitched and her palm itched as she was sorely tempted to slap Damon silly. It was just like him to avoid taking any kind of responsibility for the part he played in deceiving her. Instead of just apologizing and leaving it at that, he felt the need to inflate his ego and try to turn the tables and make it seem like Stefan was the reason for why everything had gone to hell the previous night. Stefan's actions may have indirectly caused Sybil to initiate a sexual encounter with Enzo, but at the end of the day it was Enzo's choice to climb in bed with the siren. She wasn't going to blame Stefan for Enzo's infidelity. The fact that Damon even attempted to flip the script in order to lay the blame at Stefan's feet made Bonnie incensed.

"Stefan did what he thought was right and to be honest, he was more of a friend to me last night than you were. If anyone is to blame for things going to shit last night, it's you. Not him," she said venomously.

Damon's piercing blue eyes scanned her face and a harsh laugh escaped his lips. "You're so fucking unbelievable."

Bonnie pursed her lips into a tight line. "Excuse me?"

"I am standing here trying to find out why you are so eager and desperate to play Captain save a douche when it comes to my brother, and suddenly it makes sense," he glowered at her closely," The only reason why you would be so defensive of Stefan is if you hooked up with him."

"That's not true," she sputtered as her cheeks began to burn hot. "Stefan and I didn't have sex."

Damon snorted rudely. "Maybe not, but you did other things. Things like blood share," he said accusingly as wrapped his fingers around the nape of her neck and dipped his head into the crook of her neck before brushing his nose across her pulse point. Feeling defensive, Bonnie braced herself by placing the palms of both of her hands against his muscular chest. However, it didn't stop him from hugging her closer to his body causing a hiss to escape her full lips and her jaw to clench tightly. He felt the moment an involuntary shiver danced down her spine. "You can lie to me all you want, but I can quite literally smell my brother's essence inside of you." Damon's face hovered dangerously close to hers and she could feel his warm breath on her cheek as his challenging gaze met her defiant one.

"Stefan and I exchanged blood. So what? We only did it because it was necessary," she mumbled squirming uncomfortably.

"Spending the night with him? Was that necessary too?" he demanded roughly before tightening his hold on her causing her to whimper softly. Damon knew that he was behaving inappropriately by demanding answers to questions that he had no right to ask, but he couldn't help himself. It was obvious that something was shifting between his brother and his best friend and he had no intention of just sitting by idly and watching as they became intimately acquainted. Especially since Damon felt cheated that he had put in twice the work that Stefan had and was reaping zero of the benefits Bonnie was bestowing on his annoyingly handsome younger brother. Damon could admit that when he had come around to the idea of forming a friendship with Bonnie, he never expected to evolve into anything more, but it had. They were more than just two besties who would get together over drinks and talk about life and love. They were partners, confidantes, bosom buddies, side kicks. They were as close as two people could possibly be with being lovers, but Stefan was now suddenly threatening all that. The fact that she allowed Stefan to spend the night with her, invade her personal space and consume her blood...it seemed like they were forming a level of intimacy that Bonnie has always denied Damon and that didn't sit too well with him.

"You do know that you don't have to explain yourself to him, right?" Stefan interrupted pointedly.

Damon smirked as he made eye contact with Stefan over her shoulder and his brother was practically shooting daggers at him. It was obvious that Stefan didn't appreciate Damon being all up in Bonnie's grill. Apparently Bonnie didn't appreciate it either because she wiggled out of his grasp and quickly put some distance between them.

"Nothing happened, Damon," Bonnie softly insisted as she completely ignored Stefan's outburst. "You know me better than that."

"Do I? Because you seem very comfortable letting Stefan put certain parts of your body in his mouth. We both know that if I ever pulled a move like that with you, you would have lit my ass on fire," he said bluntly. "I guess when it comes to Stefan, you play by a different set of rules."

She could see the underlyning suspcion and hurt in the depth of his beautiful blue eyes, but for the life of her, she couldn't understand what it was that he had to feel upset about. Damon was her best friend, but in that moment, he was acting like a jealous boyfriend, and it was slowly starting to piss her off. If she owed anyone an explanation about her actions and behavior, it was Enzo.

"Why are you acting petty and insecure?" Bonnie asked softly.

"Because you are acting like a gotdamn fool," Damon retorted coldly. "Yes, I lied to you and Enzo cheated on you, but Stefan literally endangered the life of someone you claim to love like a sister. Are you really so hard up for male attention that you drop your standards, your morality for whatever guy decides to breathe in your direction? I guess as long as a man shows a tiny bit of interest and feeds your exceedingly low self esteem, he could get away with all kinds of crap. " His words were so harsh and so insulting that Bonnie felt her heart plummet to the pit of her stomach. Damon could clearly see that he had wounded his little witch, but he was too angry to hold back his feelings. "Stefan pays attention to you for all of five minutes and you turn into this weak little girl. Why? Because he wiped a few tears and told you were pretty? Because after years of being with Elena and screwing around with Caroline, you finally got the attention of Stefan-fucking-Salvatore? Let me give you a little advice, Bon Bon. You may be on Stefan's radar at the moment, but when he finds someone far more attractive and more interesting to toy with, don't come crying to me about it, sister, because I ain't gonna wanna here about it."

 _I'm not going to cry. I'm not going to cry_ , Bonnie repeated the phrase quietly inside of her head despite the fact that thier were tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. She knew that Damon could be a bastard, but he never really directed his cruelty towards her verbally, until now. Dropping her gaze to the floor, she sniffled quietly as she felt a treacherous lone tear make its way down her quivering cheek. The flood gates were about to open and she was not going to give Damon the satisfaction of seeing her burst into tears.

"Excuse me," she mumbled defensively before storming off into the kitchen in desperate need of a glass of water and some space.

As the emotional witch disappeared out of the living room, Damon looked over to find Stefan glaring at him with a look of cold and unadulterated fury on his face. Damon knew that what he had said to Bonnie was completely fucked up way over the line. The moment that the last word had exited his mouth, he had regretted it. He didn't know why he made her the target of his anger when truthfully, it was Stefan who he was angry with. Damon was suppose to be the one to protect Bonnie, but how could he do that when her nose was wide open and her eyes were all fixated on his younger brother? He knew that it was completely absurd to be jealous, but he couldn't help it. Bonnie was suppose to be the one woman that Damon could take pride in not sharing with Stefan, but from the looks of things, that was no longer the case and the fact seriously irritated him.

"I always knew that you were ashitty brother. I am not shocked to learn that you are also a shitty best friend," Stefan said quietly as he frowned at Damon, "Maybe you are just a shitty ass person in general."

"I told to you that Bonnie was off limits," Damon growled as he ignored his brother's insult, "I told you to stay away from her."

Stefan chuckled darkly as he shook his head. "The only person that can get me to stay away from Bonnie is Bonnie. So far, she has made it clear that she likes my company. I guess that means I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

Damon bristled as felt his hands clench tightly into his fist. The temptation to knock the smug grin off Stefan's face had resurface once more and Damon wasn't sure how much longer he could exercise restraint.

 _"Cosa ti infastidisce di più, Damon?"_ the carmel vampire murmered in Italian, as he walked towards Damon slowly with his hands behind his back and a devilish smile on his lips, _"È questo il fatto che voglio fare l'amore con lei o è il fatto che lei probabilmente mi avrebbe lasciato?_

 _"Va' a farti fottere_ ," Damon hissed a warning response, his accent deeper and heavier than the younger vampire who was practically laughing in his face.

 _"Lo farò l'amore con lei. Le farò urlare il mio nome. La riempierò con il mio seme_ ," he whispered softly as he licked his teeth and cupped himself. " _Proprio come ho fatto a Elena..."_

Stefan never got a chance to finish his lewd comment.

One moment he was standing upright while mocking Damon, and the next, he found himself in a world of hurt as Damon knocked him on his ass. As the enraged vampire straddled him and repeatedly hammered his fist into the side of his younger brother's face, blood began to spurt from his mouth and there was the sickening sound of nasal bones fracturing inside of his skull. Fueled by his own rage, Stefan swung blindly and connected with Damon's right jaw causing the elder vampire to go flying off of him and landing a couple of feet away from him. Gone was the civil and benevolent Stefan. In his place was the Rippah, and the Rippah was out for blood. Scrambling to his feet, he walked over to Damon and began to kick him violently in the ribs causing Damon to roar in pain. It was his brother's turn to bleed as blood gushed from his mouth indicating that Stefan's assault had caused Damon to have internal bleeding. Somewhere in the distance, Stefan could hear the sound of Bonnie pleading with him to stop, but he was too far gone in his madness and malice to listen.

When he got tired of kicking Damon, Stefan reached down and grabbed Damon off of the floor before wrapping his beefy hand around Damon's neck and lifting him in the air. Seconds later, Damon felt his back crashing down onto the pool table and the sounds of colorful balls scattered noisily as they disappeared into several random pockets. As Damon laid withering on the green felt of the pool table, Stefan walked over to the rack on the wall and calmly removed a pool stick. Before Damon had a chance to brace himself, the caramel haired vampire had snapped the stick into two before jamming both pieces into Damon's shoulder pinning his howling older brother securely to the table. The look of agony and the gruesome nature of the attack made a sinister smile stretch across Stefan's lips.

Drawing his arm back, he was fully prepared to punch a hole in Damon's chest when he suddenly felt blood vessels exploding inside of his head. Snarling angrily, he pressed his hands against his temple as he whirled around and found Bonnie glaring at him as she mumbled a spell angrily. Stefan made a move in her direction, but Bonnie stood her ground and increased the pressure of the attack causing Stefan to bellow as he dropped to his knees.

As Bonnie's eyes darted between the two brothers, she felt her stomach do flip flops. She knew that this situation had gone from bad to worse. If she didn't stop it, Stefan would take it too far and do something that he would live to regret.

"Enough," Stefan hissed as he felt himself becoming weaker with each passing second.

"I agree. This has gone far enough," Bonnie growled angrilly, she lowered her hands causing the witchy migraine to slowly taper off. "You both are acting like idiots. You have spent decades beating each other senseless and what has it ever solved? Nothing. She glared back and forth between the two vampires. One was glaring at her murderously, while one smiled at her relieved.

Bonnie stomped pass Stefan who struggling to his feet and went over to Damon who was groaning in pain. Biting the inside of her cheek, she gripped the pieces of wood protruding out of Damon's shoulder and snatched them out causing him to hiss unhappily. Letting the makeshift weapon clatter to the floor, she narrowed her eyes before pressing her hands against the gaping holes in his shoulder and began to whisper a healing spell that caused the wounds to slowly close up. Staring at her bleak fully, he watched as she Latin fluently fell from her lips while deep wrinkles appeared in her forehead. He always knew Bonnie was an attractive woman, but when she performed magic, there was a beauty about her that extremely delicate and light in a way that seemed too perfect for this world. Her eyes shone a little brighter, her heart beat grew a little louder not to mention her scent became a little more earthy and mouth watering. The longer he stared at her, the more he felt horrible for the terrible things he said to her. Bonnie could have sat back and watched while Stefan beat him silly, but instead she had interfered on his behalf and saved him from Stefan's savage ways. Not too many people had the kind of heart that Bonnie had and that was what made her beautiful in more ways than one.

Maybe that's why he was secretly annoyed that Bonnie had found love with Enzo, and maybe that's why when he heard his brother describe in graphic details the ways he wanted to have her, Damon had lost his temper. Bonnie was this beautiful, loving and kind person and the fact that Stefan was getting to be on the receiving end of her goodness made Damon feel extremely envious and he had no clue how to deal with that.

When the spell ended, Damon slowly climbed off of the pool table and flashed Bonnie a tiny smile that didn't go return. It wasn't like he could blame her. He had said some things that really cut her deep.

"I'm sorry, Bon Bon," Damon whispered feeling more genuine and remorseful than he have in his entire life.

Unfortunatly for him, Bonnie didn't believe him. He could tell as much from the guarded look in her eyes. He made a move to take a step closer to her, but she backed away shaking her head with a sad smile on her lips. "You keep saying your sorry, but I'm starting to think that you truly give a damn about me. If you did, you wouldn't have to keep telling me how sorry you are for the crap that you do to me. You lie to me, you basically called me a pathetic fool with little self worth, and I'm suppose to believe that you care about me?"

Damon stared at her pleadingly. "I do care about you, Bon Bon. You know that. I shouldn't have said what I said. It's just that the thought of Stefan getting close to you is making me crazy because I know that he is going to hurt you. He is wearing a mask to get you to trust him, and once you do, and you find yourself in deep with him, he is going to hurt you. Our friendship may be complexed, unpredictable and sometimes painful, but at least it's real. I promise that you will never be able to say the same about whatever it is that you have going on with my brother. I'm sorry if the truth hurts."

Bonnie rolled her eyes as she folded her arms across her chest. She was fed up with Damon and his assumptions. It wasn't bad enough that he was openly challenging Bonnie's judgement and basically accusing her of being an blind, naïve idiot who couldn't be trusted to make good decisions when it came to who she allowed to be apart of her life. The fact that Damon was so convinced that he was the only one that was capable of caring about her was offensive. She knew that she should just be the bigger person and just ignore Damon's "concerns" but her pride had taken enough blows from Damon and she decided that he needed to be put in his place. He claimed that the truth hurt, so perhaps it was time for her to give him a very healthy dose of honesty.

Clearing her throat, she held her head before staring at Damon with a deceptively sweet smile on her mouth.

"Maybe you're right, Damon. Maybe my relationship with Stefan is a farce and is eventually doomed to fail," she admitted softly. Stefan eyes narrowed and Damon couldn't help but smiled triumphantly. However that smile was short lived when Bonnie continued to speak. "But last night felt real to me. Last night when Stefan had my back while you were nowhere to be found, that was real. When I gave Stefan my blood, and I gave him mine, that was real. When I kissed him and he held me in his arms, that was real." Bonnie practically purred as she licked her lips and moved closer to Damon who looked like his head was going to explode at any given minute. She was getting a sick little thrill at watching how words deeply impacted him. A voice inside of her head was warning her to stop before she went too far, but the young witch was just getting started. "Don't even get me started on how it felt this morning when I had him in between my legs. You wouldn't like to know just how real that felt." She concluded her little confession with a self satisfied smile as she openly enjoyed the way Damon's blue eyes filled with anger and hurt. "Or would you?" Her tone was both playful and filled with malice. "Would you like to know how that felt, Damon?"

"I certainly would like to know, love."

Bonnie froze as the sound of Enzo's soft accented voice caressed her ear causing a chill to run down her spine. As she slowly turned around, she found her boyfriend standing beneath the arch of the threshold leading into the living room. Acting on their own accord, her hands lifted and covered her mouth as she stared at him, her face completely filled with horror. The brown eyed vampire didn't make a single move or sound as he pinned her to the very spot where she stood with a look that she felt was capable of turning her into stone. There was no denying the look of hurt and fury reflecting in his brown eyes that were completely blood shot and filled with tears. Enzo had heard everything.

 **End Note: This chapter was insanely long so I broke it up into two parts. I really had a blast writing this! I translated the English to Italian on the internet so it might be a little off.**

 _-Stefan in Italian (What annoys you the most, Damon? Is it the fact that I want to make love to her, or is it the fact that she probably would let me?)_

 _Damon in Italian (Go fuck yourself)_

 _Stefan in Italian (I'm going to make love to her. I'm going to make her scream my name. I am going to fill her with my seed. Just like I did Elena)_


	19. Chapter 19

**AN: Thanks for the reviews. Ya'll seriously had me feeling like I was floating on cloud nine. I do apologize about the poor editing. I went back and tried to fix some things that slipped under the radar. I was just super excited to finally update.**

 _ **-XO-**_

Bonnie Bennett hated soap operas. As a kid, she use to sit in front of the television while her grams would religiously watch The Bold and The Beautiful and As the World Turn. Not really understanding the scandalous storylines or the reason why her grams seemed so obsessed, Bonnie would entertain herself by playing with her favorite cabbage patch doll, Jasmine, or cozying up with the latest copy of Sweet Valley High. She recalled there were only a handful of times where the messy daytime drama had actually captured her attention. There was that time where the blonde with the big boobs and the exotic name had smack the good looking doctor for sleeping with her step sister; and then there was the time that a shady and very flamboyant priest had murdered his best friend's wife and framed the local pharmacist. Sometimes her grams would try to explain the storyline to Bonnie in a way that wouldn't damage her innocence. Other times, when her grams was day drinking, the older woman wouldn't bother with the edited explanations and would proceed to rant about the horrific lifestyles of home wrecking whores and how men in general couldn't be trusted. As a young girl, Bonnie had taken her grams drunken wisdom to heart and made a solemn promise to herself that she would never allow life to become like the train wreck that she watched on her grams television. Never in a million years could she have imagined that her life would go so far off the rails. Instead of living her best life free of drama, she was standing a few feet away from her vampire boyfriend trying to figure out a way to explain to him why she had been shamelessly bragging about being inappropriate with another man. How the hell had her life become like the soap operas that she had always despised?

The sound of combat boots stomping across the living room floor caught Bonnie's attention and she lifted her eyes from the floor to find Damon re entering the room. After Enzo had made his presence known, the black haired vampire had briefly made himself scarce. When he had stormed out the room, Bonnie figured that her saucy confession had been the reason behind his disappearing act. When he had returned with blood bags in his hands, it became obvious that Damon was not going to let her confrontation with Enzo happen without him have front row seat to the implosion of her relationship. Part of her was annoyed that her best friend was being so brazenly nosy, but she knew that she couldn't ask Damon to give her privacy when she was in his home. Keeping her face neutral, she watched as Damon made his way behind the wet bar. After tearing open the bag with his teeth, he divided the cold plasma evenly between two crystal tumblers. Lifting the tumbler, the dark haired vampire offered a glass to his younger brother as a peace offering. There was still a faded but noticeable bruise on Stefan's cheeks, and Damon was still favoring his ribs, but their little blood cocktail would heal whatever injuries that still lingered. It was clear that they were still pissed off at each other, but at the moment, they seemed to consent to a silent truce.

"I didn't mean to interrupt your passionate grandstanding, love," Enzo said breaking the heavy silence that had fallen over the room, "You were just explaining to your bestie how it felt to have Stefan between those magical thighs of yours. Care to continue?"

 _Not particularly,_ Bonnie thought to herself as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Throwing the truth in Damon's face had made her feel empowered and vindicated. She had enjoyed hurting Damon in the same way he had hurt her, but unfortunately, her truth bullet had ricochet and somehow struck Enzo straight in the heart. Glancing at her lover, it was clear that he wasn't happy. In fact, he looked like he was two seconds away from going the fuck off. Even though she knew that he had no right to be mad after the sins he had committed, she knew that at the end of the day, he was still a man and hearing about her little indiscretion with Stefan had definitely wounded his pride. It was in that moment that she realized that she was almost in the same exact position Enzo had been when she caught him in bed with Sybil. The memory of that disgusting moment made every ounce of pity and guilt that she had felt since Enzo walked into the room melt away and it was quickly replaced by anger and resentment. Did he really expect her to express regret for kissing Stefan when she had actually enjoyed it? Was she suppose to lie to protect Enzo's ego and fragile feelings? He betrayed her and here she was still trying to figure out away to spare him the same pain that she had felt when she had walked in on Enzo digging Sybil's guts out like he was searching for fucking treasure!

"Last night, I kissed Stefan." Her confession caused Enzo's undead heart to sink like a stone into the pit of his stomach. "It didn't go any further than that."

"If kissing is as far as it went, how did he end up between your legs?" Enzo struggled to keep his voice neutral as he interrogated her.

Bonnie nose wrinkled and she quickly became defensive. "I don't think that's any of your business."

Enzo's muddy brown eyes trailed across his lover's face before fixating his angry gaze on Stefan who stood behind Bonnie looking bored. "Well maybe you can account for what happened between you two. What was the real reason why you refused to bring her home last night at my request? Is it because you were secretly plotting to take advantage of her?"

Stefan smirked over the rim of the crystal tumbler in his hand as as he shrugged one shoulder nonchalantly. "You probably shouldn't ask questions that you really don't want the answers to."

Enzo made a move on Stefan, but Bonnie stopped him by grabbing the sleeve of her boyfriend's jacket and holding him firmly in place. She already had to break up a fight between Stefan and Damon. She was in no mood for an encore of another pointless and barbaric brawl.

"Your issue isn't with Stefan. It's with me," she reminded him pointedly before releasing him.

"I respectfully disagree, love. Stefan should have known better to put his hands where they don't belong." Enzo's bitter words reeked of anger and booze causing Bonnie to narrow her eyes annoyed.

"You dont' want to do this. Not while you are drunk," she warned softly as she backed away from him slowly.

Enzo's brown eyes hardened noticably."Maybe if you would have come home earlier, you would have caught me just a wee bit more sober than I am now, " he retorted with a slight edge in his voice. "But apparently you were too busy giving Stefan the privilege of getting familiar with certain parts of that incredible body of yours."

The corner of Bonnie's lip lifted in a sneer as she glared at the seething vampire who clearly was too intoxicated to realize how hypocritical he was being.

"You should really stop while you are ahead, Enzo. You really don't want to go there with me." That was her one and final warning.

Apparently, Enzo didn't get the thinly coded message because he was too far gone to let it go. Just the mere thought of Stefan touching Bonnie, kissing her, and being between her legs had left him feeling a surge of pain and anger that was damn near excruciating. He loved Bonnie. Only one other person had shared her body besides him and that was her adolescent boyfriend. The thought of Stefan making moves and positioning himself to be intimate with his witch was not only rage inducing, but it was threatening to make the undead organ inside of his chest shatter into a thousand little pieces. "I know I messed up, but it doesn't change the fact that you and I are together. We are in a relationship and Stefan needs to respect that. If he can't, you shouldn't be anywhere near him."

Bonnie felt something bubbling up in the back of her throat and it was only when her lips parted that she realized that she was laughing. Genuine and unadulterated giggles was flowing from her mouth. She didn't know what amused her the most. The fact that Enzo actually thought that he had any room to dictate who she could or couldn't be around, or that he actually thought that their relationship was still intact. As Bonnie's laughter died down, Enzo brow furrowed as an ugly frown marred his handsome face. It was one thing for Bonnie to be mad at him, it was an entirely different thing for her to completely ignore his concerns while laughing in his face.

"I fail to see what's so funny, love," he grounded out through clenched teeth.

Bonnie opened her mouth to retort, but Damon quickly intervened. The hostility between the couple was very palpable and this whole situation had the potential to go from Rickey Lake to Jerry Springer in the matter of seconds.

"Enzo, I know that you are pissed off, but believe me when I tell you that you are not in the right head space to have this conversation. You should just go back upstairs and sleep it off," the older vampire advised as he placed his hand on Enzo's shoulder in a passive attempt to guide him out of the room.

"You really expect me to stay under the same roof as the bastard that Bonnie is snogging, mate?" Enzo shoved Damon away from him, his face darkening with anger. "Don't be a bloody Pillock."

Stefan arched a bushy eyebrow in amusement while Bonnie sucked her teeth. Whenever Enzo would have a little too much to drink, his British roots would emerge on a full and embarrassing display.

"I'm not "snogging" anyone." She did air quotes with her fingers. " I already told you before. Nothing happened."

"I wouldn't call a kiss nothing," he said angrily.

"I'm not about to argue with you about what transpired between me and Stefan. At least I told the truth about my little indiscretions. You hid yours for months," she said coldly.

Enzo rubbed his sweaty palms down the side of his denium black jeans. This was the moment he had been dreading ever since he turned his humanity switch back on and had been overwhelmed with the guilt of what he had done behind Bonnie's back. He had thought that if he could put enough distance between the mistake that he had made while he was under Sybil's spell and focused on loving Bonnie in the way that she deserve, he could atone for what he had done and what had been done in the dark would never find its way to the light. Unfortunately, he had been wrong and now it was time for him to account for his lie and betrayal. However, he was not okay with laying all of his sins bare while the Salvatores bore witness.

"I can explain my actions, but I refuse to do it in front of mix company. Let's go home and sort all of this out." Bonnie was surprised when Enzo reached down and grabbed her hand before tugging her gently towards the front door.

She snatched away from him frowning deeply. "No."

"No?" he asked incredously. "I spent the night with Sybil to save your comatose bestie and you spent the night with Stefan where he got the pleasure of experiencing what it was like between your thighs. We both made mistakes, so I don't see why we can't wipe the slate clean and move forward?"

"Are you seriously going to stand there and pretend that what I did after your betrayal makes us even?" she inquired in disbelief. "Because it doesn't. I need time and space to process everything and take care of myself and I can't do that if we are under the same roof."

"So you are just going to stay here and take room and board with the Salvatore brothers?" he asked, his voice dripping with rage, "How are you suppose to process your feelings when you are living with two vampires who are obviously attracted to you?"

"I plan on practicing a little thing called self control. You should really look that up and learn what it means," she spat growing annoyed with each passing second.

"Oh, you might be an expert at self control, but it's not you that I am worried about. It's them," he snarled glaring between Damon and Stefan who both wore matching tense expressions on their faces. "Damon has made it no secret that he doesn't approve of our relationship and will probably use this as an opportunity to come between us and Stefan is barely holding on to his humanity. What's to stop him from holding back the next time he happens to finds himself alone with you?"

Stefan took a menicing step towards Enzo with malice reflecting in his forest green eyes. "Bonnie doesn't have to worry about me. I have no intentions of doing anything to her that she doesn't want me to. I'm curious, tho. What bothers you the most, Enzo? The fact that Bonnie trust me enough to let me between her legs or the fact that she can't trust you to stay from between the legs of a certain little siren?"

The brown eyed vampire felt guilt and anger course through him like a raging fire as he glowered at the self satisfied vampire who seem to be a little too involved in his business as far as Enzo was concerned.

"Why are you even asserting yourself in our affairs? You may think that this whole act of you walking around untethered to your emotions is going to win sympathy points from my girl, but it's not. Elena and Caroline may have been lured in by their need to save you from your self destructive ways, but Bonnie is far too smart to fall for your antics," Enzo said callously. "To her, you are just a phase. A minor obstacle to distract her from her issues with me. Bonnie may have some physical attraction to you, but that is as far as it goes. The most that you are going to get out of your newfound friendship with my girl is mercy. She is going to bandage you up, fiddle with your little humanity switch until it's back on and send you healed and whole back to Caroline Forbes." He paused before a slow smirk crawled across his face. "Speaking of our resident blonde, I wonder how Caroline would feel if she knew that you were making moves on a woman that she is like a sister to her."

While Bonnie looke distressed, Stefan remained completely unbothered as he placed his hands on his hips.

"I don't give two shits how Caroline would feel. You are feeling threatened because I am doing what you can't and that is being there for Bonnie in any and every way that she needs me to be," Stefan said licking his teeth slyly, "I wouldn't be in the position that I am if you weren't a lying, philandering asshole. If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at yourself. You are the one who hurt her, which by the way, is the one thing that you really consistent at doing."

"You don't know what you are talking about," Enzo hissed infuriated.

All amusement disappeared from Stefan's face as he invaded the other vampire's personal space. "I'm talking about the fact that you nearly got her killed last year when you were doping her up with those poisonous anti magic pills. For someone who claim to love her, you are really careless when it comes to her wellbeing."

Bonnie grimanced. Even though Stefan had told the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the mother fucking truth, it still felt like a low blow. Enzo had been devastated when he had discovered he had been feeding her pills that had made her terminal. It was a mistake that he carried as a heavy weight on his shoulder, and despite the many times Bonnie had told him that she didn't hold any resentment for his actions, she knew that he had never managed to forgive himself for being so careless with her wellbeing. No matter how angry she was at Enzo, or how she felt about their relationship, she never had the heart to throw such a sensitive topic in his face, and the fact Stefan had so carelessly reminded him of his past failure left her feeling extremely uncomfortable.

Enzo chuckled bitterly. "I may have made an atrocious mistake by feeding her those pills, but let's not stand here and pretend that you never done anything to jeopardize Bonnie. I recall her telling me how once upon a time, you and Damon flipped a coin to decide whether you would be turning her or her mother into a vampire to spare your precious Elena from dying. Are you planning to use the same problem solving skill when you and Damon attempt to figure out which one of you gets to snog her first?"

Stefan eyes darkened noticeably as he moved closer to Enzo causing their nose to brush.

"Did you really just fucking say that to me?" he asked coldly.

"If it came down to it, what would you prefer? Heads or tails, mate," Enzo slurred viciously.

The room was so quiet that the only sound that could be heard was Bonnie's heart beating violently loud against her rib cage. She knew that Enzo had made the cruel remark to one up Stefan, but she felt like she had somehow become caught in the crossfire during the war of words. For her boyfriend to even suggest that Damon and Stefan, two men in which she had very complicated relationships with, would ever stoop so low as to treat her like she was a piece of meat with no value or dignity made her both sad and furious. It wasn't enough for Damon to humiliate her by earlier suggesting that she was a woman with low self esteem, but now she had to stand between three vampires and listen as the man she loved spitefully insists that Damon and Stefan were disgusting low lives who saw her as a sexual conquest.

Before she had a chance to form a coherent sentence to properly express her disgust, Damon breezed past her and strategically wedged his way in between his brother and Enzo who were seconds away from laying hands on one another.

"I think it would be for the best if you both shut the fuck up and stop talking," he warned sternly, "I don't care how wasted you are, Enzo. Talking about Bonnie like that is not only disrespectful, but it's down right disgusting. If you want to work things out with her, I suggest you disengage in the pissing contest with my brother and try having a civil conversation with her."

Bonnie knew that Damon's intervention was a weak attempt for him to make up for that terrible crap that he had said earlier, but she was too incensed in that moment to even appreciate him defending her.

Bonnie exhaled deeply before she glared at Enzo feeling all sorts of emotions coursing through her. "Let's forget for a second that you basically accused Stefan and Damon of wanting to use me like some nasty jump off. I'm not going to just forget that you lied to me and I'm not just going to forgive you for sleeping with that whore. I think it's best if we separated for the time being. There is just too much damage and I can't look at you without seeing you with her and I-I...," she paused as she felt her voice shake slightly, "I just need time to figure out where I want to go from here."

As she moved away from the three vampires, she felt fresh tears well up inside of her eyes. The past twenty four hours had been mentally and emotionally exhausting. She had gone from battling a siren, breaking a fight up between two violent brothers and now she was having to end her relationship with Enzo. How much pain and stress could a human heart handle? Bonnie felt like the organ inside of her chest was dangerously shattering into a million broken pieces and unlike the other times she had fallen apart, she felt like that this time, she wouldn't recover.

Enzo walked up behind her and rested his hands on her shoulders. He was attempting to provide her comfort, but all it did was make her feel worse.

"Bonnie please. Don't push me away. I love you," he said quietly.

"Yeah," she scoffed bitterly as she whirled around to face him, "Where was all that love that you had for me while you were hooking up with Sybil?"

"Bonnie, I need you to listen to me. I only slept with Sybil because she threatened to kill Elena," Enzo tried desperately, but Bonnie cut him off by holding her hand up.

"I know that you did what you had to do for Elena. God knows we all have made sacrifices to keep her safe, so for me to hate you for that wouldn't be fair. However, you slept with Sybil months ago and you hid it from me," she growled as she furiously combed her slender fingers through her thick brown curls." You keep things from me that you don't think that I can't handle and that's not okay. You act like I'm going to fall apart like I'm made of glass," she protested emotionally, "You treat me like I am fragile."

"That's because you are," he exploded frusterated causing Bonnie to fall silent. "You want the whole truth? Well, here it is. Being with Sybil those four months gave me a break where I didn't have to constantly feel things. I killed, I fed, I did it all on repeat. I was living in my true nature of being a vampire. I didn't have anyone who needed me to care for them or to protect them, I was simply able to breathe and exist and live in my truth without my humanity. I didn't tell you about Sybil, because a part of me reveled in what I had done and I knew you would despise me. There were things she let me do that you would never approve of because you were too righteous and too moral. You will never know how good it was to just simply kill people because they were wicked and deserve it and Sybil didn't judge me for me finding pleasure in the dark things that I done. She wasn't fragile and no, I didn't have to handle her like glass. When we were intimate, I didn't have to hold back. I didn't have to have concern that I wouldn't break her body in half during our little throes of passion."

Bonnie released a strangled sound from her mouth that sounded like a cross between a laugh and a sob.

Stefan and Damon both exchanged nervous looks. They could clearly feel the danger lurking in the atmosphere, but poor Enzo was too blitz out of his mind to notice

 _Enzo, you in danger boy,_ Damon winced inwardly as he slowly begin to inch away from the arguing couple. He knew that he should put a stop to the heated conversation before things had a chance to get a lot worse than they already were, but Damon had already suffered one ass kicking that day. He was not exactly enthusiastic to be on the receiving end of another.

"So what you are saying is that you actually enjoyed screwing her because she could handle you in ways that I never could?" she asked feeling humiliated.

When Enzo fell to respond, Bonnie took his silence for confirmation and all she could do was see red.

Slap!

The walls in the room echoed with the resounding sound of Bonnie's palm making violent contact with Enzo's cheek. The attack was so sudden and caught Damon so off guard that he had to lift his own hand to the side of his face to make sure that he hadn't been the one on the end of Bonnie's assault. Blinking owlishly, his gaze drifted over to Enzo who was sporting a bright shade of red and the right side of his face. His eyes was filled with shocked and confusion as he stared down at the little witch he was staring at him with fury and contempt on her pretty face. For a long moment, no one dared to move or speak out of fear that Bonnie would strike him again.

Suddenly Enzo cried out as he dropped to his knee. His face was twisted in pain and agony, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Bonnie was using her magic to inflict an inhuman amount on pain on the poor vampire.

"Bonnie, stop," Damon cried, but the enraged witch was far beyond the point of listening to reason. All she could do is replay Enzo's callous words as she used her magic to punish him. Enzo groaned quietly, but he was too proud to allow Bonnie to hear the screams that was threatening to burst from his lips. His left knee cap snapped and was as quickly followed by the sound of his right arm dislocating from his shoulder. He didn't know how much of this he could take before he passed out. Starring into her eyes, he knew that he had messed up and had gone too far. In his mind he thought that if he was actually honest with Bonnie and told her all the things that he had still been hiding from her, that his transparency would appease her. Obviously, he had been wrong.

"Did that make you feel better? Are you happy now that you have shown that you are capable of hurting me just as badly as I have hurt you," he mumbled swallowing back tears

"I haven't began to show you what pain feels like," she growled. A pain inducing spell was on the tip of her tongue when Damon quickly placed himself between her and Enzo. Grabbing her shoulders gently, he guided her close to him and stared down at her pleadingly.

"Bonnie, stop. Stop before you do something that you are going to live to regret," Damon warned her gently.

"Get off of me," she mumbled brokenly as she shoved Damon away and walked across the living room. She was desperate to put as much space between her and Enzo as possible. As she listen to him groan while snapping his dislocated shoulder back in place, she felt terrible that she had allowed her emotions to get the best of her. She had told herself that she wouldn't allow Enzo to see her being vulnerable and weak, and she would handle the situation with grace and dignity, but all that had went out the window when she had listened to the way he had describe being with another woman. Not only had she felt extremely humiliated, but her feminine pride had taken a massive blow. Maybe if this had been her first brush with infidelity, she wouldn't have reacted so violently, but it wasn't. Jeremy, the first love of her life, had broke her heart when he had cheated on her with a ghost. A fucking ghost. Bonnie had sworn to never allow a man to make her feel such agony ever again. During one of their many late nights of pillow talk, Bonnie had confided in Enzo and told her that her worst fear was being cheated on and she recalled the moment where he had taken her into his arms and whispered vows of fidelity against her tearstained cheeks. She never expected that he would ever go back on his promise, and the fact that he did devastated her.

"I would let you break every bone in body every single day if it meant that you would forgive me, love," Enzo said, his voice filled with sadness.

Bonnie shook her head. She had already forgiven one cheater for breaking her heart. She did not have the emotional strength or the energy to do it again. She couldn't.

"Tell me what to do to make you reconsider walking away and I will do it," he insisted desperately. "If you want me to find her and kill her a thousand times over, I will do it. If you want me to bring her heart and lay it at your feet, I will do it. I will do whatever it takes to make things right."

"What I wanted was you to keep your word and not screw her in the first place," Bonnie sighed wearily as she folded her arms across her chest. "Sybil is a powerful psychic who was able to manipulate you, but you weren't the only person who she tempted. She is damn near obsessed with Damon and he managed to resist her despite her trying every trick in the book to get him into her bed." She paused as she stared at him, her pretty face twisted with disappointment and despair.

"So you blame me for not being as strong as your precious bestie?" he grumbled defeated.

Bonnie shook her head. "It's not that Damon was stronger than you, Enzo. Damon's love and loyalty for Elena was so concrete and so deep that the temptation wasn't enough to make him stray. You can blame Sybil for seducing you, and you can even use the excuse that you were without your humanity." She stared at him and offered him a small and sad smile. "At the end of the day, there was a part of you that wanted to get into bed with her and whatever love you had for me wasn't enough to prevent you from being unfaithful."

"Great," he deadpanned. "Damon is a bloody saint while I'm being made out to be a villainous bastard."

"Let's leave Damon out of this," Bonnie warned softly.

"I second that motion," the raven haired vampire said looking more than a little uncomfortable.

"Why?" Enzo snapped, "You are the one who bought him into this conversation. You wanted to make it clear that you think that he's the better man in this entire situation. You are punishing me because I couldn't be more like Damon. Well there is only one problem with that, Bonnie. I am not Damon," he said bitterly, "We both know that I have spent so much time trying to live up to that impossible expectation during the course of our relationship."

She walked up to him and glared at him. "I didn't expect you to be like Damon. In fact, I expected for you to be the opposite. I expected you to be the one person in my life who I could trust without a shadow of a doubt. How can I do that when you are keeping terrible secrets from me? No matter how much it may hurt me, I can't have people in my life that can't be honest with me."

Enzo felt his blood grow cold as the dead look in her verdant eyes spoke volumes. She was giving up on him. The noble side of him told him that he should just leave and give her a chance to cool down before he made matters any worse, but the drunk side of him wasn't ready to back down and retreat so easily. As he narrowed his eyes at Damon, he couldn't help but feel resentful over the fact that Bonnie was so willing to kick him to the curb without giving it a second thought, but she somehow manage to find it in her heart to forgive her blue eyed bestie time and time again despite the fact that Damon had hurt Bonnie more times than Enzo could count. There was also the fact that Enzo knew that Damon was keeping a big secret of his own from Bonnie, and while Enzo had told himself that he would never expose Damon for the hypocritical fraud that he was, he was beginning to have a change of heart. If Enzo's relationship was a sinking ship, he was determined not to go down alone.

"If you can't have people in your life that you can't trust, you and Damon should probably part ways as well," Enzo said clearing his throat as he stared Bonnie straight in the eyes, "The two of you haven't been forthcoming with each other when it comes to certain...truths."

"If you are talking about the fact that I lied to her about that Sybil had taken you hostage to use for bait to get Elena, we already hashed that out," Damon informed flatly, "Besides, you can't compare me telling a little white lie to you planning a future with Bonnie while simultaneously hiding the fact that you had an affair."

"Oh, I'm not talking about your little white lie, mate. Me and you both know that Bonnie has forgiven you for far worse," Enzo started.

"So what is this truth that you think I am keeping from Bonnie?" Damon asked growing more irritable with each passing second.

"You are going to stand there and pretend not to know what I am talking about? I guess if you want to keep a secret, you must also hide it from yourself," Enzo said cryptically.

Damon rolled his eyes at Enzo's reference to George Oswell's 1984. "Are you going to speaking in riddles or are you eventually going to let us all in on what the hell you are talking about."

"I'm talking about the confession you made in a certain letter you left behind when you desiccated," he blurted out.

"You read the letter?" Bonnie asked in disbelief. "How? I never unsealed it and I gave it back to Damon the first chance that I got."

Enzo smiled sadly. "What difference does it make? All that matters is that I know what Damon wrote and I am not the only one who has been keeping secrets from you."

A heavy silence fell over the room and Bonnie pinched the bridge of her nose as she struggled to remain calm. She had been so busy being so head over heels in love with Enzo that she never questioned his dark side. She never thought he would be capable of doing things like cheating on her, lying about it and keeping the contents of Damon's letter a secret from her. It seemed that the more that she discovered about Enzo, the more she was beginning to realize that she didn't know him as well as she thought she did.

Without any warning, Damon grabbed Enzo by his shirt and shoved him violently against the wall. The murderous look in the blue eye vampire's eyes revealed that Enzo had royally screwed up. "That letter was meant for Bonnie. You had no fucking right to read it."

"You kept Damon's letter a secret, even after you and I fell in love with each other. I want you to tell me why," Bonnie demanded angrily.

Enzo tore his gaze away from Damon's menacing gaze and stared at Bonnie somberly.

"Because I was selfish and wanted you all to myself. I watched as it took years for you to get over him and I didn't want to tarnish what we built by revealing the contents of the letter. I know that I was wrong for a lot of things that I have done, but Damon was wrong for desiccating when he was hiding the fact that he loves you," Enzo said quietly.

Damon swallowed the lump inside of his throat and looked at Bonnie nervously. "Listen, Bonnie. Before you get mad at me, just give me a chance to explain. I know that what Enzo is saying is shocking to say the least, but you really need to read the letter in order to gain context. There's the feeling of love and then there is the act of being in love with someone-," he started.

"I don't need context. The truth is that reading that letter and finding out that you had feelings for me wouldn't have changed a thing," Bonnie said flatly.

Damon forced a smile and back away from Enzo slowly. "See? This entire conversation is pointless. Bringing up the letter is futile, because Bonnie still doesn't care to hear what I had to say in my defense-" He was interrupted by Enzo laughing deeply.

"You only believe her because you weren't there to witness what your absence did to her, Damon. That letter served as a constant reminder that you abandoned her," Enzo growled, his brown eyes darkening noticeably, "The first month after you left, Bonnie was so distraught that she practically starved herself while grieving over you. Imagine her being so fucking miserable that she lost over fifteen pounds and became a sad little shell of herself." Damon felt sick to his stomach as he reluctantly released his hold on Enzo and glanced over at Bonnie who looked like she wanted to disappear into thin air. Damon didn't have to interrogate Bonnie to know that the words that were spilling from Enzo's mouth was the truth. After all, a drunken man tells no tales. " The only thing she held onto was that bloody letter. She took it everywhere with her. It haunted her and it drove her deeper into depression. It got so bad that I thought that she would never recover. So one night, after she had cried herself to sleep, I took the letter and I read it." Enzo paused as he chuckled bitterly. "I wanted to see if there was anything you could have written in that letter that would justify destroying our little lovelorn love witch."

"Love lorn? You think I have some unrequited love for Damon?" she asked incredulously.

Bonnie was floored. She knew that Enzo was three sheets in the wind and was talking with a loose tongue, but it didn't make his words any less hurtful. She knew from experience that the drunk mind speaks the sober heart. She knew that Enzo actually meant what he said and the fact that he truly thought that she had been secretly in love with another man during the course of their relationship made her heart break a little more in her chest.

Enzo brushed past Damon before standing in front of Bonnie. There was a sad and heavy look in his eyes that made Bonnie shift uneasily. "I may have given Sybil my body, but your heart belonged to Damon long before I ever strayed."

"If you believed for a single second that I actually loved Damon in a way that wasn't platonic, why did you get involved with me?" she sputtered heatedly, "Why did you engage in a physical and emotional relationship with me?"

"Because despite the fact that you were mourning the loss of another man, I fell in love with you," he confessed, his eyes filled with unshed tears, "I saw how hard, how deep you loved Damon, and I wanted you to feel the same way for me. I wanted to know that kind of love. I wanted it more than anything in the world and you made that happened. Love, family, relationships...those were things that I didn't know anything about until you came along. You became the person that I loved, you became my family. You became the only relationship that matter to me and if the small price to pay for having that was to share your heart with another man, I was willing to pay it."

A stunned silence fell over the room as Damon process Enzo's stunning admission. Damon couldn't help but observe Bonnie and she looked a little green around the gills. Gone was the sanctimonious woman who had previous stood in front of him and boasted how much she had enjoyed being inappropriate with his younger brother. In her place was an scared and uncertain little girl who trapped between the proverbial rock and a hard place. If it had been any other day where Bonnie wasn't furious with him, and he wasn't pissed at her for getting cozy with Stefan, he would have probably have come to her rescue. He would have checked Enzo about his delusion and paranoia. If it would have been any other day, Damon would have offered a joked that would have put Enzo's mind at ease while simultaneously getting Bonnie off the hook. Unfortunately for Bonnie, Damon's ego was still wounded from the way Bonnie had flaunted her attraction and less than subtle desire for Stefan, so in his mind, Enzo questioning her motives and feelings for Damon was proper punishment.

"You are wrong," she said, her voice heavy with conviction. "I was never in love with Damon."

"But you did love him," Enzo corrected, "Tell me that I'm not crazy. It would make me feel less of a fool."

"I'm not responsible for how you feel, Enzo. Think whatever you want," she said, "Damon and I are just friends, and barely even that. You can't just get wasted and throw accusations around to deflect from the fact that you were unfaithful. It's desperate and somewhat pathetic."

"Allow me to play devil's advocate for a moment," Stefan interrupted unable to remain quiet and impartial any longer, "I don't think Enzo is being all that irrational."

Bonnie and Damon gawked at Stefan as if he had just shot a midget out of his ass. Their mortified expressions only serve to amuse him even more. "Don't get me wrong. Enzo screwed Sybil and lied about it. It makes him a complete piece of shit in my book. However, Damon having feelings for Bonnie for each other would explain a lot. It would explain why Damon had acted like a jealous prick earlier when he found out we spent the night together. It would also explain why Bonnie felt the need to patch Damon up after I handed him his ass for disrespecting her," Stefan mused wryly. "I think you two have the hots for each other, but you don't want to admit it because doing that means that you two being completely "twitter pated" with each other is a betrayal to Elena, and that's the last thing you two would ever do."

At this point, Bonnie was ready to throttle Stefan. One minute, he had her back and the next, he seemed content with throwing kindling on the dumpster fire known as her love life. Bonnie ran her fingers through her hair and sighed heavily. This day was going from bad to worse. Stefan was suppose to be her ally and instead, he was becoming a formidable frenemy and Enzo was quickly becoming a pain in her ass.

Bonnie sighed as she glared at the caramel haired vampire. "Are you going to really going to stand there and accuse me of something so insane?"

"Insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over and thinking that you are going to get difficult results. Damon screws you over and you continue to go back to him. All umpteenth times. Maybe, just maybe, that's how you two just show your love."

His words caused Bonnie and Damon to exhcange a look of deep discomfort. Stefan's words sound eerily similar to the ones Kai utter to them back in the prison world. Suddenly Bonnie felt like a mouse in a trap. All three vampires in the room was starring at her with a peculiar look on their faces. Enzo was staring at her guarded, Stefan's face was more expressive and curious, and Damon...Damon looked like he was ready to bolt. Clearly this line of questioning and insight was making him as squeamish as she was.

"I shouldn't have to tell you this, but drinking the Kool aid that Enzo is peddling is not a good idea," Damon said flatly, "Let's not forget that the only reason why we are even having this conversation is because I told a little white lie, Enzo had a creepy affair with Sybil, and you just happened to be there when all of this went down. At the end of the day, whether I have or had feelings for Bonnie is irrelevant. The main issue is Enzo and his dirty little secrets. The classic bait and switch and flipping of the script was a nice try, but our not so platonic feelings for one another is no excuse for you getting your freak on with Sybil."

"I'm not saying it's an excuse, mate. I'm just saying that if Bonnie decides that she no longer wants me in the picture, you will be presented with the perfect opportunity to swoop down and take her from me," he said unhappily.

"Take me from you?" Bonnie echoed offended, "I'm not a possesion Enzo. You don't own me and no one can simply decide to just take me. Whatever Damon may or may not feel for me doesn't change the fact that he and I will never be anything more than just friends and I find your claims to be outrageous and borderline delusional. How could I possibly love someone that I can barely tolerate on a good day?" she exclaimed clearly irritated by the whole situation. "You can sit here and bait Stefan into believing your insane conspiracy theory until your undead heart is content, but I'm not going to stick around and entertain any of this for another second. I am so over this bullshit."

Bonnie went to leave the living room, but was annoyed when Damon blocked her exit with a unreadable expression on his pale face.

"You can barely stand me, but you are seriously going to act like you and I don't have love for each other?" he asked gruffly. "You should leave the lying to me because you kind of suck at it." She was trying her best not to squirm, but it was pretty obvious that she was uncomfortable.

"You think that your lame attempt to manipulate me is going to work?" Bonnie almost laughed in Damon's face. It was completely absurd how boldly he was trying to manipulate her. "I know that it would just boost your ego to know that I spent years pining after you like some pathetic, love sick moron, but that simply isn't the case.

"What's wrong, Bon Bon? Too afraid to keep it real with me?" He was taunting her and Bonnie was sorely tempted to give him the same treatment that she had given Enzo not to long ago by introducing him to a world of pain.

Bonnie eyes moved from Damon's face and rested on the two vampire's standing behind him. Enzo was watching their interaction closely with a frown marring his handsome face and Stefan was smirking with his arms folded across his chest and a knowing look in his eyes. All three vampires had practically backed her into the proverbial corner, and there was no easy way out. She was confused to how they even got to this point. One minute, Bonnie had been confronting Enzo about his liaison with Sybil, and the next Enzo had completely flipped the script by accusing her and Damon of having feelings for each other. The conversation should have been swiftly shut down by her denying his accusation, but instead, everyone was looking to her to prove him wrong. The dignified part of her wanted to tell the men to literally fuck themselves, but the petty and spiteful side of her wanted to lash out.

Walking over to the wet bar, she lifted the crystal decantar shaped like a diamond and poured herself a splash of Bourbon before lifting the glass and starring at Damon. He looked so smug and unbothered that it took everything inside of her not to set the glass of liquor on fire and throw it in his face like a Molotov cocktail.

"You want me to keep it real with you, Damon?" she asked mockingly as she focused her laser sharp glare on the smirking vampire who had folded his arms across his chest as he watched her patiently. "This is what's real. When it comes to my feelings for you, I can say with complete and total honesty that I never have and never will be in love with you. In order for me to be in love with you I have to be...um, what was it that you called me earlier?" she pondered tilting her head slightly as she glanced up at the ceiling curiously. She snapped her fingers and smiled brightly. "Oh, that's right. A gotdamn fool. I would have to be a gotdamn fool who is hard up for male attention. I would have to drop my standards and completely abandon my morality to fall for you just because you decide to breathe in my direction." Her words caused Damon's smile to disappear slowly from his face. "To fall for you, I would have to have exceedingly low self esteem, right?"

The only sound in the room was the quiet humming of the Air conditioning as Bonnie's words hung in the air like a thunderous gunshot.

"You are a lot of things, Damon. Funny, Charming, Ride or die," she ticked off each character trait on her free hand while taking a sip out of the glass of Bourbon with the other. "You are beautiful. You have this way of affecting everyone around you and it's because of the way you look. You bat your impossibly blue eyes, and flash that devil may care smile and instantly women are drawn to you like a moth to a flame." She paused as she watched his cheeks grow slightly red at her compliment. "You are a lot of things, but the one thing that you have never been is truly wanted and I think that fact is why you treat people with such reckless abandon. I mean, what can you expect when you had no true sense of being wanted even as a human. Your father preferred Stefan over you and hell, even your own mother chose to adopt a family of clinically insane heretics rather to pledge her love and devotion to you, her first born," she tsked sympathetically as she begin to walk in circles around Damon who looked stiffed and very uncomfortable. "Oh and then there was that nasty business with Katherine. The woman you spent most of your vampire life pining after only to find out that she never really loved you and preferred Stefan to be the keeper of her heart. Then there is Elena. Sweet and kind Elena who fell for Stefan before taking pity on poor, loveless, lonely Damon." She stopped walking in circles before standing in front of him directly in front of him. "Katherine couldn't love you, Elena was sired to love you and your mother had to learn to love you all over again before succumbing to a tragic death. What makes you think that I would be the exception? What makes you think that I could ever love you?"

Before she could finish, Damon grabbed her abruptly causing her to yelp in surprise. Bonnie felt her mouth grow dry as she realized that she may have just pushed Damon a little too far. She didn't' mean half of the things she said, but when the opportunity to hurt him had presented itself, she had jumped at the chance to get payback. She knew her actions was petty and a spiteful, but Damon deserved it. She was still hurting from his cruel words earlier.

"Maybe you two should take a time out," Enzo intervened uneasily.

"Stay out of it, Enzo. This is between me and Bonnie," Damon snapped viciously before turning his attention back to the seething witch. "You need to stop before you say something thing that you can't take back."

Bonnie sneered at him as she placed her hands on her hips. "I thought you wanted me to keep it all the way real with you. What's the matter? You can't handle it," she jeered with cruelty dripping from her words. "For years I tried rationalizing why I continue you to keep you in my life when all you ever do is find new and creative ways to disappoint me. I can't believe that it's taken me this long to figure it out, but now I get why you maintain a problematic presence in my life. You realize that I was the one person in this world who was actually loyal to you and you decided to take advantage of that. You took the fact that I cared about you, and that I never screw you over. You may claim to care about me, you may even deluded yourself into thinking that you have love for me, but I don't believe you. Not anymore."

"Stop, talking." No longer wanting to have an audience to thier confrontation, Damon grabbed Bonnie by the crook of her arm before marching over to the door leading to the back yard. Shoving it open, he guided Bonnie out of the Boarding House and secured the door behind him. Bonnie was annoyed that Damon was physically handling her, but she silently allowed herself to be led to the grassy area where they were a safe distance away from being over heard by Stefan and Enzo who had the good sense not to follow them. The sun was beginning to set softly in the background casting a beautiful orangish glow across the soft blue sky. Usually Bonnie would have been thrilled to enjoy such a beautiful and warm sunset, but she was too busy being manhandled by her best friend to even notice nature's painting in the sky.

"Let go of me," she seethed as she snatched away from him angrilly. She snatched her arm out of his grip and put distance between them with a murderous look in her dark green eyes. "Touch me again and I will break every bone in your body," she whispered harshly. The nerve in Damon's jaw ticked and Bonnie should have taken that as a sign that Damon's temper was getting the best of him, but she was too angry to notice. "I mean it, Damon."

Her threat was genuine and full of contempt, but Damon wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of letting her see him sweat.

"Fine, Bon Bon. I'll keep my hands to myself. Just so you know, saying things that you don't mean isn't going to hurt me. In fact, I find it a little juvenile and beneath you," he said honestly.

"I meant every word I said. I could never love you. You are selfish, petty, thoughtless," she started.

"Careful, Bon Bon. You are starting to sound less like my bestie and more like your Huntress alter ego which I found hot despite the fact that you were extremely homicidal," he teased causing her anger increase tenfold.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You think everything is some big joke! I am standing here telling you that I have very negative feelings for you and you think it's all a game," she practically shrieked.

"Calm down, drama queen. I'm amused because this is our thing. Yeah, you may think you hate me now, but when you calm down, you are going to remember that I am your best friend and beneath all that resentment, you and I are thick as thieves," he said patiently.

"Screw you," she snarled before shoving him away for her and making a move to head back towards the Boarding House.

Damon grabbed her by the wrists and she tried to use her free hand to punch him in the face, but he restrained her easily.

"Would you stop literally and figuratively pushing me away," he whined pitifully, "I am trying to have a conversation with you without all of the unnecessary violence."

"Is it unecessary, Damon? I have every right to be mad at Enzo for what he did, but you had to go and give him ammunition by lying in your letter and making him think that there is some unresolved feelings between us. I happen to think that kind of shady move deserves you getting your ass beat for the second time today," she snapped, her eyes flashing angrily.

"You wouldn't hurt me," Damon said with more confidence than he felt.

"Why wouldn't I?" she snapped feverishly.

"Because you care about me. Just like I care about you," he said patiently.

"You don't give a rat's ass about me, Damon. If you did, you wouldn't have abandoned me. If you did, you wouldn't lie to me. You don't hurt the people that you care about. You think that all you have to do is offer me some heart melting words after you do something to cut me deep and I will come running back, but I am just now beginning to realize that you seriously take me for granted. You think that I will always show up to forgive you and that isn't how things are going to work anymore. I deserve to be treated with respect," she exploded emotionally, "I deserve to have people around me that I can trust and rely on and if you can't be that person for me, you need to let me go and stay out of my life, because I'm done with having my heart stomped on. I'm done with cheating and lying ass men. I'm done with-"

Damon's hands flew up and captured her wrists before firmly twisting her arms behind her back and backing her up against the nearest tree that happened to be his prized seventy five year old Magnolia tree filled with beautiful and light scented flowers. Bonnie panted feeling like she was being crushed beneath the weight of her emotions.

"Don't you dare say you are done with me, Bonnie Bennett," he warned, his eyes glittering with anger, "You and I have been through too much together. No matter what happens between us, we will never be done. Do you know why? Because I won't let you walk away from me. Not now. Not ever. I told you once that you were stuck with me, and I meant that."

"God, Damon! Do you know how toxic you sound right now?" Bonnie stared at him helplessly. "The whole toxic codependency crap may have worked with you and Elena, but I'm not her. I am not willing to stay in a relationship where there is no honesty and respect."

"I am not perfect, Bonnie! You knew that when we became friends. I know that I have flaws, but when you need me to come through in the clutch, I am always there for you. I was there when your little ass needed to be bought back from the Other Side, I was there when Kai was going to let you die on the floor of that barn and I was there more than willing to let you drive a stake through my heart when you became a bat shit cray cray huntress. Can Enzo say that he been there for you as long as I have? Can Stefan say it? Fuck no. While Stefan was busy trying to find himself and sniffing the panties of his latest conquest, I was there for you. When Enzo was holding you hostage on not one, but two different occasions, I was there. What more do I need to do to show that I actually give a damn about you?"

"Stop with all the spinning, Damon. It's beneath you and it's really insulting to me," Bonnie spat.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Damon exclaimed with a confused look on his flushed face.

"I'm talking about the fact that you save me time and time again because of Elena. You know damn well if you left me to my many different twisted fates, Elena would never forgive you," she said accusingly causing him to roll his eyes exasperated.

"I am so fucking tired of you throwing that bullshit in my face. Okay, so maybe there was a time where my only motivation for protecting you was to keep Elena happy and satisfied, but we have come a long ways from them. You act like all the time we spent together in the Prison World meant nothing. We bonded. Whether you liked it or not, we made a connection that carried over from that shadow world to our reality. I may have not been the perfect friend for you, but I know that I have spent years protecting you, caring for you-," he tried.

"Hurting me," she exploded tearfully, "If you cared about me half as much as you cared about Elena, you spend less time apologizing to me and more time being a good friend"

They stood toe to toe in silence breathing in each other's air as they struggled to control their emotions. Things were getting a little too real and a little too deep.

"Tell me something, Damon," she choked tearfully. "If I was in Elena's place and I was the one stuck in a magical coma while Elena was living her life, you and I both know that you would have never desiccated. It wouldn't have mattered if your desiccating meant keeping her safe," Bonnie said holding back an angry sob, "You would have found a way to protect her because you would never be able to bring yourself to leave her side. You love her and I get it. I am glad that Elena inspires such loyalty and devotion from you, but don't expect me to stand here and pretend that I shouldn't be hurt by the fact that you would never abandon her but yet chose to abandon me."

Her words hit Damon like a brick to the face and for the first time, he truly saw the raw pain and devastation that he had caused here. He had been so caught up in his own crap that he hadn't realized how much he had hurt her and how long she had been silently suffering because of his cruelty and consideration. While she made it seem like she had forgiven him, she obviously haven't forgotten and the scars from the emotional wounds he had inflicted was reopened every time he did something to hurt her. In that moment, he hated himself. Bonnie had been right. He was a selfish son of a bitch.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, and he meant it. He meant it with all of his heart. It was just too bad that she didn't believe him.

"I wish Kai would have killed me," she said suddenly. Those seven words instantly caused Damon's nostrils to flare as he frowned deeply. "I really mean it. I wish you would have chosen to save Elena over me. At least I wouldn't have to live day in and day out knowing that you resent me. At least I wouldn't have fallen in love with a man who cheated on me. At least I wouldn't be standing here trying to figure out how to take down the latest supernatural threat because everyone around me is so fucking incompetent. If you chose her over me, you would be living in domestic bliss and I would be resting in peace. Instead, I am sitting here miserable and alone and it's all your gotdamn fault."

"Stop fighting me, Bonnie. You are not alone. No matter what happens, how you feel about me, I'm always going to be here for you. I made the mistake of walking out on you and I promised you that I would never leave you again. No matter how much you try to push me away, hurt me, or run, I'm going to be here. Nothing will ever change that, you hear me?" he insisted passionately.

"Don't say that if you don't mean it," she mumbled as she swallowed back tears.

"Look at me," he commanded softly.

Moments later, Bonnie lifted her head and locked eyes with the repentant vampire. He loosened his grip on her wrists that he had pinned behind her back, but he didn't release her.

She was shaking. She was so angry that she could feel the heat licking at her spine and coursing through her entire body.

"Do you remember the night where Tyler almost killed you at the Armory?" he asked quietly.

Bonnie nodded mutely. How could she forget? It had been one of the most scariest moments of her life. It was the night where she thought that Tyler was going to rip Damon to pieces and she had foolishly intervened despite the fact that she had been without her magic and completely powerless to stop the beast that had been trying to escape out of Lockwood.

 **"** You almost died that night and the thought of losing you made me feel something that I didn't expect to feel," confessed hoarsely. Bonnie stared at him curiously. There were only a handful of times that she had witnessed Damon looking scared and right now, standing before her, he looked completely terrified. She was beginning to feel worried. What could be so bad that he couldn't just come clean? Why did he feel the need to put it in a letter instead of confessing straight to her face?. "I once told you that if something was to ever happen to you, I would lose my mind and that night, while I watched you fight for your life in the hospital, I realized that I couldn't bare to watch you die. I couldn't bring myself to say goodbye."

"You watched me die and come back to life multiple times, Damon. Why was this time any different?" she asked confused.

"Because sitting in that hospital, I realized that if I had to chose again between you being alive or having Elena back in my arms, I would have given anything to keep you breathing and the scared the living hell out of me," he breathed deeply as his eyes went wild.

It wasn't a declaration of love, but it came pretty damn close. For Damon to admit that he valued her life despite not the fact that he wouldn't be in it meant something. It meant everything and Bonnie couldn't decided whether she wanted to throw her arms around him and pull him into a comforting embrace or kick his ass for not just being truthful with her.

"I really wish that you read that letter because I meant every word that I said. My feelings for you wasn't just something I made up in order to attempt to justify what I did," he said, his voice filled with heartbreaking sincerity., "My feelings for you were real. They are real. I was just an idiot who didn't realize it until it was too late for me to do anything about it. If you never trust another word that comes out of my mouth after today, fine. T hat is something that I have to live with. I just need you to believe what I am saying to right here and right now. I. Care. About. You."

Bonnie shook her head. As much as she wanted to believe him, she couldn't bring herself to let her guard down and trust him again. After everything that had happened, she would be a fool to believe a word that came out of her best friend's mouth. She knew from past experiences that Damon lied when it was for his own benefit, so why should now be any different? She would have challenged his statement with that very question, but she realized that his eyes were no longer locked onto hers. Instead, his gaze had somehow found a way down to her lips, and she felt her cheeks grow hot as her ears detected a low and dangerous growl humming in the back of his throat. They say that actions spoke louder than words, and Bonnie knew that Damon was a man of action. If he couldn't convince her to believe him with his words laced with honey and remorse, he would simply have to convince her by showing her ho w he felt. Bonnie felt the tension between them thicken and she suddenly became nervous. Damon was looking at her in a way that he had never looked at her before and she was beginning to get the feeling that something was about to happen and she couldn't decided whether that something would be incredibly bad or horrifyingly satisfying.

"Damon." She meant to say his name in a tone that would warn him to back off, but to horror it came off as a mixture between a breathless moan and a desperate plea. It had been so long since the vampire had heard his name spoken with such reverence and want that he felt like he wanted to overwhelm Bonnie with his intense and blood curling emotions. . This was the moment. The moment where truth could no longer hide behind snark and banter and all the unanswered questions lingering between them would be answered by interrogating Bonnie's beautiful mouth with his inquisitive tongue.

"What are you doing?" she asked alarmed as her eyes widened noticeably.

He offered her a half smile that came across as both cocky and unsure. "Isn't it obvious?"

What she saw lurking beneath the surface of his piercing blue orbs left her breathless and more terrified than she had ever felt in her entire life. He could see from the distressed look on Bonnie's face that she was extremely terrified, and he couldn't blame her. Even though he seemed calm and collected on the outside, on the inside , he was shaking in his combat leather boots. He never thought that they would ever get to this place in their friendship, but here they were. There was a tiny little voice inside of his head screaming for him to back away from the little witch before he had the chance to do something that couldn't be undone, but he ignored it as he lowered his face closer to hers.

"Whatever it is that you are thinking about doing, don't. I am still extremely upset with you and Enzo and Stefan can walk out here at any moment and they could -," Bonnie was cut off by Damon chuckling softly.

"They could what, Bonnie? Lecture me on how to behave when it comes to you? Neither of them are experts on the subject, so to hell with Enzo," he murmured as he moved his face closer to hers before whispering, "And to hell with my brother."

Before Bonnie could open her mouth to argue with him, he closed the remaining distance between them and planted his lips firmly against hers. The moment that their lips sealed together, it felt like they had been frozen in time. Damon had finally done what he had thought about for years. He had finally kissed his best friend. While he knew that there was the very strong possibility that she could either push him away slap the taste out of his mouth, or use her magical set of skills and break every single bone in his body, he couldn't help but feel a sense of thrill at the unspoken danger. Fortunately for the bold vampire, the only reaction Bonnie seemed to have was tightening her lips as a form of resistance to his forward display of affection. Bonnie's adamant refusal to participate in the kiss was not surprising to say the least. Things were never easy when it came to his interactions with his little witch so why should their first kiss be any different? Despite her reluctance, Damon was not going to let her stubbornness deter him from expressing how he felt about her. Moving his hands away from her hips, he maneuvered his fingers underneath her shirt and made contact with the small of her back. The sudden and unexpected caress made her lips part slightly and the opportunistic vampire didn't hesitate to take full advantage of the moment and plunged his cold tongue inside of her warm and unexpecting mouth.

Bonnie's emerald green eyes flew open and she gasped against his mouth feeling like she had just been electrocuted. She wasn't sure if it was because his kiss had robbed her brain of much needed oxygen or if it was because her emotions was at an all time high, but something inside of her burst and she suddenly found herself returning Damon's kiss violently. On their own volition, her hands found their way to Damon's chest where she gathered the material of his shirt between her fingers and pulled him closer. Their tongues battled, teeth clashed and heavy sighs and soft whimpers filled their ears as they become lost and caught up in the fiery kiss. Bonnie wasn't sure what was transpiring between them, but she knew that whatever it was, it was being fueled by passion, anger and hurt. These were the same three emotions that seem to fall like a blanket over them whenever they were in close proximity of one another. They fought passionately, the loved even in anger and they seemed to always stay grounded in hurt. They went from hating each other, inflicting pain on each other, and relying on each other. Neither of them ever thought they would find themselves in the position of trying to lose themselves in the other and as exhilarating as it was, it was down right dangerous.

Pulling his mouth away from hers, he began to shower kisses in the curve of the graceful slope of her neck causing her to whimper softly as she wrapped her arms around him and held him tighter. At this point, she was dizzy, breathless and cross eyed, and while she knew that kissing Damon was several different kinds of fucked up, she didn't want him to stop. Not when it felt like the earth was moving underneath her feet and her heart was pounding so violently that it made her chest ache.

She felt tears pebble at the corner of her eyes, but didn't dare let them fall. She had done enough crying and the last thing she wanted was for Damon to see just how much control he had over her emotions.

Damon finally pulled away and Bonnie sent a silent prayer of gratitude to whoever was listening that she was finally able to inhale and gift her lungs with his forehead against Bonnie's, Damon fought back a self satisfied smirk as he stroked the nape of her neck lightly with his fingertips. Bonnie panted softly as she planted her hands on his chest and pulled back slightly so that she could look into his eyes.

"Tell me something, Bon Bon," he murmered as his thumb gently stroked her passion swollen bottom lip," Does that feel like I don't give a fuck about you?"

"I want to believe you," she panted brokenly as she clung to him fearing she might actually drown beneath the weight of her emotions. "But I'm tired of being hurt. I'm tired of people betraying me."

The words "I'm sorry" was on the tip of his tongue, but before he could bring himself to say them, Bonnie had recaptured his mouth with her own and engaged him in another mind blowing lip lock. As angry as she was at him for lying and being cruel to her, she couldn't deny that their kiss was anything but painful. In fact, it was comforting, tender, and filled with warmth that she didn't know that she had been secretly craving. Reaching up, he cupped her face inside of his hands before gently stroking her lower jaw bone lightly with the pads of his thumb. A muffled moan escaped her lips as she felt her knees buckle. Clutching his shoulders tightly, she stood on her toes and returned the kiss and he shivered as a moan escaped her throat and vibrated against his lips. This kiss was his way of apologizing for so many things he had done to her in the past that he never made right. He was sorry for resenting her for being alive while Elena slept peacefully in a coffin. He was sorry for leaving her all alone when she had needed him the most. He was sorry and he cared about her and in that moment, he kissed her with all of his will and all of his might. Even if their first kiss was there last, he needed her to remember this moment and he needed to make her realize that despite all the lies that he had ever told her, this was one of the truest and most honest things that he had ever felt in his life.

"I'm sorry, Damon. I just need to be alone for awhile," she mumbled flustered before wiggling out of his arms and disappearing towards the wood line on the edge of the property. Damon turned and watch her rush off feeling helpless and frustrated. He knew that kissing Bonnie was completely selfish given the fact that she was in an extremely vulnerable state, but when she had refused to believe him when he told her that he cared about her, she had left him with no other choice. Now that she knew that he had been telling the truth about his feelings, he wasn't sure if the clarification had made things better or worse between them. It was clear that she was deeply confused about how their impromptu lip lock and the last thing he wanted to do was cause anymore damage to their friendship.

"I'm sorry, Bonnie." He whispered despite knowing that she was too far away to hear him. He didn't know what it was going to take, but he had every intention on making things right with his little witch. He didn't care how long it took and it didn't matter how many obstacles he would have to overcome. Bonnie was the one person in his life that had never let him down and had always stuck by his side for better or for worse. It was about time that he showed her the same type of selflessness and devotion. Scrubbing his hand across his face wearily, he turned and headed back towards the house. Once he was back in the living room, he was startled to find Enzo lying on the floor with his neck snapped and his head turned at an odd angle while Stefan was innocently sitting on the couch with his arms draped across the back and his legs stretched out and his ankles crossed. His calm and peaceful demeanor was a stark and somewhat disturbing contrast to the fact that there was a vampire lying a few feet away in his own blood.

"Do I want to know why you took poor Enzo out of commission?" Damon asked dryly as he stepped over Enzo's motionless body.

"Depends. Do I want to know why you and Bonnie were playing seven minutes in heaven in our backyard?" Stefan replied tilting his head with a curious gleam in his forest green eyes.

"It's probably best if we go with the don't ask, don't policy," Damon concluded with a bright smile before breezing out of the living room and heading upstairs to his bedroom. He was suddenly in the need for more Bourbon and a very cold shower.

_-XO-_

 **End Note: Before you crucify me for the Bamon kiss and accuse me of make Bonnie Elena 2.0, let me clarify something. This is still a Stefonnie story but Bamon is going to be an obstacle. Unlike Elena, Bonnie was never involved romantically with either brother. She was Stefan's associate and Damon's frenemy. So now that she is going through heartbreak, she is trying to deal with the fact that hey are both attracted to her and find a way to figure out the complicated relationship that she has with both brothers. To the lovely lady with the scathing review, you assumed that Bonnie would sleep with both brothers. That is nowhere in this plot.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey** **guys. I really hate that this story has been** **delayed this long, but life has been stomping the sonic rings out of me. I'm just trying to feel whole again and it's just been seriously...blah.** **Anyhoo...Sorry if their is any confusion with the tenses in this story. I slip up sometimes between past and present. I am going to try to keep it present tense. I know the back and forth is really annoying. One of my many vices. As far as the reviews go, I am ashamed to say I was a little bit affected by the negative ones but I am truly happy for all reviews I get and I'm happy that most of you are still enjoying this.**

"Oh my god. That was so..." Claudia trails off giggling softly as she buries her face into Dorian's shoulder.

The young Occult intern chuckles feeling a swell of pride in his chest after leaving his lover thoroughly satisfied. Their naked wet bodies are molded together as they both struggled to recover from the shocks of the orgasms that they had just experienced just moments ago. When Dorian had first walked through the doors of his apartment twenty minutes earlier, the last thing that had been on his mind was sex. His plans had been to get showered and head over to the Boarding House earlier than what was scheduled, but Claudia had sensed his bad mood and had offered to make him feel better by doing things to him that had him rock hard before the water in the shower had the chance to grow hot. One thing led to another and they had ended up fucking and making noises that made the dogs in the apartment below them howl in complaint. After it was all finished an done, Dorian had felt physically sated, but he was still emotionally distressed by the discovery that he had made earlier that afternoon during a trip to the Armory.

Sighing softly, he closes his eyes as he recalls the incident. The only reason why he went there was to recover the missing pages from the copy of the Maxwell Journal that had been left in the copier. Unable to wait until he got home to read the newly recovered pages, Dorian had hunkered down in Ric's office and scanned through the entries and what he had discovered left him completely stunned. The key to Cade's demise had been hidden discreetly in the passages and it didn't take his gut or common sense to make him realize that the information that he had come across was far more dangerous than he could have ever prepared himself for. Feeling the need to keep the information protected, Dorian had went to seek out the original Maxwell Journal, but he was shocked to find that it was no longer in the place where he had last placed it. The fact that it was missing meant that it had fallen into the hands of the wrong people, and the thought left him feeling deeply disturbed.

He was broken out of his thoughts when Claudia turned the shower off before wrapping her arms around his neck and placing a playful kiss on the tip of his nose. "You seem distracted. What's on your mind?"

"You wouldn't understand." Separating their bodies momentarily, Dorian reaches over and turns the shower faucet off effectively stopping the lukewarm stream of water from cascading across their bodies.

"Try me," she presses gently.

"I don't want to talk about it," he begins softly.

"But-" he cuts her off with a heavy glare.

"Can you just back drop it?" he mumbles as he detangles himself from her arms and stepped out of the shower

He grabs the remaining white towel that is folded on the shelf above the toilet and wraps his towel around his waist before stalking into his bedroom. Claudia huffs offended as she stomps after him. She can clearly see that Dorian's mood had gone form bad to worse, but that doesn't t give him an excuse to talk to her any kind of way.

"Why are you so cranky? I thought your little attitude would have blown off after what we just did, but you are still so fucking tense," she pouts as she folds her arms across her wet bare chest.

"I guess it's just one of those days, babe. I'm sorry for snapping at you. I just got a lot of stuff on my mind," he sighs apologetically.

"It's okay. I just really wish that you didn't have to go," she pouts as she runs as purple towel across her soaking wet body. "Why can't you just reschedule what you have planned so we can spend some more time together?"

A soft smile touches Dorian's lips. As much as he wants to continue to spend time with Claudia, he knows that he can't just blow this meeting with Bonnie Bennett off. It's too important and he was already running late as it is. Glancing at his alarm clock on the night stand, he swears softly under his breath when he realizes that its ten minutes before seven which means that he was going to be late with meeting the Bennett of the things he has always prided himself on was being very punctual and respectful of other people's time. Unfortunately, he had gotten caught up with spending time with Claudia that he almost all but forgotten that he had suppose to meet with her in the first place.

"I would if I could, but this meeting is important. I have information that I need to pass along and it can mean the difference between life or death. Besides, It's bad enough that I'm late for the meeting. I don't want her to think that I'm the kind of person who has zero respect for her time because I'm currently operating on CPT," he complains as he swipes his deodorant bar underneath his arms.

Claudia arches her raven eyebrow inquisitively. "CPT?"

"Colored people time," Dorian responds causing the Latina to chuckle as she shakes her head in amusement.

"Dory, is that even a real thing?" she asks grinning as she runs a towel through her long and wet hair.

"Yeah. My dad was notorious for it. It use to drive me insane," he snorts as he digs through his dresser for a clean shirt to throw on.

Claudia sobers up as she glances at him briefly and notices the nostalgic look on her lover's face. It wasn't very often that Dorian talked about his family, but when he did, she always sensed a cloud of sadness hanging over his head. She knew that Dorian's father and sister had died in a house fire when he was younger, and that the younger man sometimes showed signs of survivor guilt. Even though they were close enough to put their body parts inside of one another, they weren't exactly close enough to dive into the most private things in each other background and given the mood he was in currently, she wasn't going to try to go there with him anytime soon.

"So what is this meeting about?" she asks curiously as she pull her panties up around her waist. "For you to skip out on more sex, it must be a matter of life or death."

She means for her statement to come across as a joke, but when Dorian barely cracks a smile, she is suddenly concerned.

"What's with that face you just made?" she presses worried as she stops coming her fingers through her locks and meets Dorian's gaze in the reflection of the mirror as he stands behind her. "Is it life or death? You aren't involved in anything dangerous are you? You told me that you were just an intern to that wacked out Occult professor."

Dorian bites back a smile. "First of all, he isn't wacked out. He is very good at what he does, and two, any job could be dangerous if you think about it."

"Why do I have a feeling that you are deflecting?" she asks suspiciously.

"Because if I told you what I was up to you, you would think I was on drugs and you would go run screaming for the hills," he explains seriously, "It's just best if you didn't know."

As she finishes getting dress, she begins to apply her make up in the mirror.

"Wait, didn't you tell me that Alaric and his girls are out of town?" she asks curiously as s he unscrew the cap to her mascara.

Dorian pulls a belt through the loophole of his jeans before buckling it. "Yeah, why?"

"If he isn't in town, who are you meeting with?" she pressed curiously.

"Just a friend of Ric's," he said cryptically.

"Why are you being intentionally vague?" she asks suspciously as she coats her lips with a light pink gloss, "Does this friend of Ric's happen to have breast and vagina?"

Dorian sighs heavilly as he massages his forehead feeling frustrated. "Yes. The person I am meeting is a woman. Please don't make a big deal about this."

"How would you feel if I was blowing you off to attend a mysterious meeting with some strange guy that I never met?" she snaps unhappily.

If Claudia wasn't happy about him running off before, it was safe to say that she was downright pissed about it now. The high from the sex they had earlier is quickly starting to fade and is slowly being replaced by uncomfortable tension.

"I know that this situation is less than ideal, but I really need you to trust me. This is something I have to do and I promise that when I get back, I will make it up to you," he says curtly.

As he gathers things for his meeting, he notices that the copy of his journal is nowhere to be found.

"Have you seen my journal? When I left earlier, it was sitting here on my desk," Dorian asks as he frantically searches each drawer of his desks.

"It's in your closet in the satchel. It was scattered all over the place, so I decided to organize your things so that you would have an easier time finding what you need," she explains smoothing down her shirt.

"I really would appreciate it if you didn't touch my things. If I leave things in a specific place, I expect to come back and find them there," he says crossly.

"I was just trying to be helpful," she exclaims upset as she slams her make up back into her purse.

"I didn't ask you to do that," he argues angrily as he glares a hole in the back of her head.

She whirls around and stares at him angrilly. "If you are going to be such an asshole, maybe I should just leave."

Dorian rolls his eyes. "Maybe you should." He knows that Claudia didn't deserve his attitude, but he knows that until he is able to deal with the information he found in the lost pages of the journal, he will continue to be tightly wound, so the best thing he could do was to let her go for the moment. Claudia was opening her mouth to protest when the sound of rapid knocking on the front door gives her pause.

Grabbing his satchel and keys, Dorian heads downstairs to answer the door with Claudia in tow. He thinks it might be the next door neighbor asking her to give her car another jump off or the mail man dropping of an Amazon package. Instead it's a young man with brown hair, blue eyes dressed in all black with a warm and inviting smile on his lips.

"Uh, hi. Can I help you?" Dorian asked curiously as he adjusted the strap on his satchel.

"Hi. My name is Joshua Parker. Do you have time to hear about the gospel of Jesus Christ?" the young man asked smiling warmly as he clutched a leather black Bible in his hand.

Dorian shifts slightly as he feels Claudia's body press against him as she peeks over his shoulder eager to get a better look at the stranger on the porch.

"No offense, but I'm actually agnostic bro. Enjoy the rest of your day." Dorian moves to shut the door in his face, but the man stopped him.

"Actually, Dorian, I'm agnostic too," he admits before tossing the Bible over his shoulder where it landed with a soft thud in the grass." Religion has always been such a buzz kill for me and considering how they speak against witchcraft, Christianity and I never really stood a chance."

Dorian gets a bad vibe as he realizes that their was something sinister about this faux Jehovah witness.

"Who the hell are you and how do you know my name?"Dorian demands suspiciously.

"I'm not actually Joshua Parker. He was my father. He died in a tragic killing spree," he comes clean with a wicked smirk, "I'm Kai Parker, but you can just call me Kai," he leans forward and studies Dorian's face closely, "I can tell by the look of horror in your eyes that you have heard of me."

Dorian swallows with great difficulty as he nods. He knows exactly who Kai is. Kai was the reason why Alaric had lost the love of his life, Jo Parker. Kai was the reason why Jo and Lizzie had to grow up without their biological mother. Kai was the reason why Elena Gilbert was in a magical coma. From all the stories he had heard about the psychopathic heretic, one thing was for certain. Kai is extremely dangerous and Dorian knows that he should tread carefully.

"You are suppose to be dead. Ric said that you were killed years ago," Dorian says quietly.

"Yeah. If you live around these parts long enough you will learn that not everything is that simple. Sometimes the dead comes back to life, or in my case, back from the burning fires of hell," he informs dryly.

Claudia laughs nervously as her eyes darts between the two men. "Is this some kind of sick joke?"

Kai shakes his head as he shoves his hands in his pants pocket and begins rocking back and forth on his heels. "I'm afraid not."

"Claudia," Dorian says softly, "Go upstairs and don't come out of the bedroom until I tell you to."

Claudia's pretty face twists in confusion. "I thought you wanted me to go home."

"Now I'm telling you that I want to stay," he says quickly, "Just please, go back upstairs."

"Dorian, I-," she starts to protest but stops when he gives her a look that shows that he is clearly not in the mood for a debate.

Kai wiggled his fingers at her playfully as she tosses one last look of confusion in his direction before disappearing up the stairs and slamming the bedroom door behind her.

"Can I come in or are we going to have a very nasty conversation on your front porch?" Kai asks cheekily.

Dorian steps out of the house and shuts the door behind him. There was no way in hell that he was going to allow a psychotic heretic to cross the threshold into his home.

"I was actually on my way out, so if you don't mind, can you just tell me what you want so I can be on my way?" Dorian requests coldly.

"It's simple. I have already taken possession of the Original Maxwell Journal that was so cleverly hidden in the armory. What I want is the copy of the journal that's tucked away safely in that little Indian Jones satchel of yours. Cute bag by the way? Do they have that bag in the color black in the men's department?" Kai asks flashing a toothy grin.

Dorian eyes widens. At least that solved the mystery of the culprit who had taken the Original Maxwell Journal. He know that if Kai was after certain information, it was more important than ever to protect the copy that he has in his possession safe and closely guarded.

"I don't know what you are talking about," Dorian lies boldly.

Before the young Occult intern can blinks, Kai's hand shoots and wraps his fingers around Dorian's throat. He doesn't apply pressure, but the gesture is threatening enough.

"You know my history. Do you really think it's smart to try to play dumb?" he asks impatiently.

"What if I said I wasn't going to give it to you?" Dorian growls with more confidence than he actually feels. He knows that it would be child's play for Kai to rip his throat out and bleed him dry, but Dorian was a man with pride and a little bit of ego. He isn't about to let Kai think he could easily make him his bitch.

Kai sighs as he increases the pressure of his fingers wrapped tightly around Dorian's throat. It would be so much easier if he could just bleed the younger man dry and removed the prized journal off his dead little corpse. Unfortunately, Cade made it clear that Dorian was to remain unharmed. Cade tend to only like to harm the wicked and fortunately for Dorian, Cade was on the devil's list of untouchables much like the little Bennett witch. So given how he can't actually hurt Dorian, Kai knows that the next best thing to do is to compel him.

Releasing his grip on Dorian's throat, Kai places his hands on eithier side of Dorian's head, he boxes the other man in between his arms and smiles at him darkly.

"I'm going to ask you a series of questions and you are going to be truthful with me. Okay?" he prods, his voice deceptively calm and gentle.

Dorian knows that the heretic is attempting to compell him which leaves him in a bad position. On one hand, he can refuse and give away the fact that he is loaded up on vervain, courtesy of an overprotective Alaric. On the other hand, he can comply to Kai's demands which would leave him without the journal, but on the bright side, he would still be alive to see another day.

Dorian has no choice but to nod miserably.

"How much of the Journal have you read?" he inquires.

"Only half."

"Have you told anyone else what you discovered?" Kai continues his interrogation.

"No," Dorian responds truthfully, "I was waiting until I reached the end of the journal to share my findings with Alaric."

"Is it because you are a slow reader, Dorkian?" he teases.

Dorian recoils and his top lip curls up into a snarl. "Man, fuck you."

"Harsh language. We were getting along so well, Dorian. It would be a real shame if our little conversation has to turn unpleasant," Kai says seriously, "Give me your copy of the Maxwell Journal."

Reaching into his satchel, Dorian reluctantly decides to comply.

"That wasn't so hard, now was it?," Kai clucks as he thumbs through the copy of the journal flippantly, "You really are alot smarter than you look."

Dorien bristles trying not to let his anger get the best of him. "Why are you so intrested in the journal? It has nothing to do with you."

"The journal has nothing to do with you, but yet here it is in your possession," Kai retorts childishly.

"I'm using it to help people," Dorian says, his voice filled with self righteousness.

Kai looks up from examining the pages of the journal and smiles knowingly. "Is that why you were just on your way over to the Boarding House to see Bonnie?" he asks mockingly, "To help her?"

"How do you even know about my meeting with Bonnie?" Dorian inquires baffled.

Kai rolls his eyes experated as he struggled to resist the urge to back hand the young Occult intern for his nativity.

"Cade, who is literally the devil, is my boss. He is omnipotent. That means he has unlimited power and is capable of things that goes beyond your wildest dreams," Kai exclaimed dramatically, "He sees everything, hears everything and knows everything. The fact that he clued me in on your little clandestine meeting with my adorable little witch is basically child's play."

Dorian knew that he should just get going while the getting was good, but his curiosity had always been somewhat of a character flaw and he was determined to get answers to some of his many unanswered questions.

"If Cade is trying to make this meeting between me and Bonnie an non factor, it must mean that he sees her as a threat," he stated softly causing Kai to snort derisively.

"Yeah, but not enough a threat where he is going to stomp her out," he grumbles. "Where I'm from, you gut your enemies. You don't throw a blanket of protection over them and treat them like they are untouchable," the heretic complains sounding annoyed. "I could be spending my time sun bathing in Florida while getting hot girls to do something strange for a little piece of change, yet here I am, playing the shepherd for the devil and now it's my job to both sabotage and protect my-" he broke off abruptly as he realized that he was revealing more than he should. In hell, he didn't have a lot of time to express what was on his soul and now that he was in the land of the living, confessing his feelings to a stranger was almost cathartic.

"Your what?" Dorian presses curiously. "Your livelihood? Your path to redemption?"

"My witch," Kai groaned miserably. He cleared his throat as he turned his back on Dorian trying to school the myriad of emotions crossing his pained face. "You have no idea how hard it was for me to see her, to be close to her and not feel the warmth of her blood on my hands. I have spent so long dreaming about how I could make her pay for betraying me, but I can't because if I even think about touching a single hair on her hair, Cade will send my ass flying back down to the lake of fire, and as much as I want revenge on Bonnie, not even she is worth that kind of torment."

"Your Bonnie?" Dorian asks confused, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't you the one responsible for binding her life to Elena's and forcing her to live out the rest of her life without her best friend?"

"It seems like Ric did one of hell of a job giving you details on my background," Kai says amused, "What else did my wannabe brother in law tell you about me?"

The corner of Dorians lip curled upward into a disgusted snarl.

"He told me that you destroyed not only his life, but Bonnie's as well," he says bluntly.

Kai shrugs with a complete lack of emotion on his handsome face. "I can't deny that fact. There was a moment when I had been weak and pathetic and I actually cared enough to ask for her forgiveness. Can you picture me groveling at the feet at some stupid little witch asking for her to give me a second chance?" he laughs before clenching his hands into a tight fist and narrowing his eyes angrily. "Instead of granting me a reprieve for my past actions against her, she decided to literally stab me in the back and left me in the person world where I was left at the mercy of some pretty deranged vampires. Long story short, Bonnie deserved everything that happened after she rejected me and left me to die. She deserves to end up like Sybil."

Dorian frowns suspiciously.

"What happened to Sybil?" he asks inquisitively.

Kai cleared his throat uncomfortably. "When it came down to being a "company man", she wasn't the ideal woman. Cade doesn't take too kindly to people who goes against his wishes. You would do well to remind your new little circle of friends of that fact when you go and meet up with them."

"So he fired her?" Dorians asks confused.

Kai shakes his head. "In a matter of speaking. Imagine that Sybil is a goldfish, hell is the toilet and Cade is a the one pressing the handle to send her swirling in a fiery cyclone to the underworld."

Dorian's lips twich slightly at the image that the heretic so colorfully painted in his head.

"I guess I shouldn't hold you up any longer. If you don't get to the meeting, Bonnie is going to get suspcious and that's the last thing that I want," Kai sighs before looking Dorian in his eyes, "You are going to go to her and tell her that you accidently lost the journal and that your memory of what was in it is faulty at best." He pauses before snapping his fingers causing Dorian to jump slightly, "Also, don't forget to tell her that she is pretty. Bonster deserves to hear that every now and then. Especially now that her little heart is broken."

Dorian blinks twice. This heretic was seriously messed up in the head.

"I lost the journal and Bonnie is pretty," he parrots back like a mindless robot.

Kai grins happilly before slapping him lightly on the shoulder.

"Good. Oh and before I get." He holds the pages of the journal in front of him and narrows his blue eyes, _"Incendia."_

Dorien watches as the pages that he had spent so much time going over and deciphering crumble beneath orange flame and black ash.

When Dorien looks up from the remains of the journal, he finds that Kai had disappeared.

Walking back in the house, he comes face to face with Claudia who is standing with her hands on her hips and a less than pleased look on her pretty face.

"What the hell, Dorian?" Claudia breathes angrilly, "Who was that creep and why the hell was he threatening you?"

Dorian exhales deeply as he scrubs his hand over his face. He doesn't really want Claudia involved in any of this, but since Kai had literally bought the trouble to his doorstep, he knows that he has to tell his worried girlfriend some version of the truth in order to keep her safe. Moving closer to her, he cups her face in his hands and his hardened expression softens as he stares into her eyes.

"That man was responsible for the murder of my friend Ric's wife. He is very dangerous and he came here because he wanted the copy of the Maxwell journal," he explains softly.

Her eyes widens with horror. "Oh my god. A killer knows where we live? We need to go to the police."

"We can't," he states firmly.

Her horrfied expression turns into outrage and confusion. "Why not? You just said he was a killer, and I heard him threaten you. If he is out there walking around free, you aren't safe."

"As long as you stay inside, he cannot harm you," he promises, "It's really important that you don't leave this house until I return."

"Dorian, what the hell is going on? All of this is really beginning to freak me out? What exactly does Alaric have you involved in?" she asks softly.

"I'll explain everything in detail when I get back. For now, I really have to go," he says before kissing her on the forehead before heading out the house.

 _ **End Note: Stay tune for a bonus chapter.**_


	21. Chapter 21

_**AN: Enjoy!**_

Shitty. That was the only word Bonnie can come up with to describe how she is feeling at the moment. After her confrontation with Damon, she had fled into the Boarding House and locked herself in the guest bedroom so that she could have space to process how her life had gone from being happily functional to being severely complicated. Hours had flown by and she is frustrated she still hasn't manage to figure it out. Damon, Stefan and Enzo each had come knocking wanting to speak to her about their various transgressions against her, but she adamantly refused to see the three troublesome vampires. She feels conflicted on how to handle all of the issues currently piling up on her plate. Does she forgive Stefan for throwing her under the bus about her alleged "feelings" for Damon? Does she make her breakup with Enzo with permanent? Then there is Damon. Did she confront about their kiss or should she pretend that it never happened?

"Tell me, Bon Bon. Does that feel like I don't give a fuck about you?"

As Damon's sultry inquiry plays on a loop inside Bonnie's head, she finds herself tracing her bottom lip with her manicured fingertips. Every time she closes her eyes, she recalls the flash of his silver blue eyes, the burning touch of his fingers on her skin and the sound he had made when his tongue had eased its way into her mouth. She knew that she should have ended it the moment that he so selfishly initiated it, but she didn't. What was even worse is the fact that she had foolishly kissed him back. For a moment, she had forgotten just how mad she was at him over the things he had done and said to her. For a moment, she had forgotten that Damon was the arrogant and irritating vampire that she called her best friend and she was the witch who was both charmed and exasperated by him. In that moment, they had just been Bonnie and Damon. Damon and Bonnie. Two people who were emotionally compromised and had given in to a moment of weakness where they shared a kiss. An highly inappropriate kiss that had left her feeling both guilt and shame. She felt guilt that the kiss was a betrayal to Elena and she felt shame because, not less than twenty four hours ago, she had been sharing a kiss with Damon's brother.

Thinking of Stefan made Bonnie groan as she digs the heels of her palms into her eye sockets while simultaneously trying to ignore the heat creeping up the back of her neck. While Damon's kiss had been unexpectedly good, it paled in comparison to her kisses with Stefan. When he had first kissed her at the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant, she had been taken by surprise and to stunned to even have an emotional reaction to the kiss. However, the kiss that had happened last night outside of the burning Lockwood Manor had definitely left an impression. She had felt something shift inside of her and that absolutely terrified her. Common sense told her that she had every reason to feel uneasy when it came to Stefan had kissed her, she had felt something shift inside of her. He didn't kiss her because he wanted to manipulate her or wanted to prove anything. He had done it simply because he wanted there is Stefan. Thinking about Stefan made her stop pacing as she recalls waking up in Caroline's bed earlier that morning. Her cheeks burns hot as she recalls the steamy encounter. A part of her felt guilty for being sexually aroused by Stefan. He was Caroline's ex and Damon's brother. There were so many reasons why he was off limits. However, she can't deny that there is something between them. It's dangerous, hot, and terrifying. If she is to be honest with herself, she can admit that, even with his humanity switch stuck in between on and off, she was turned on the possibilities of what could be if she would lower her boundaries.

Bonnie groans and digs her heels into her eye socket trying in vain to block out the memory. The more she thinks about kissing the Salvatore vampires, the more irritated she gets until she is no longer lay still.

Huffing in irritation, she climbs out of bed and slips her shoes on. Before she knows it, she is pacing like a tightly coiled tiger in a cage. She hates the fact that she is even in this screwed up position. Bonnie had always prided herself that she was different from Elena and Caroline in the sense that she never was involved with two brothers. has to live with the fact that she had kissed both Damon and Stefan, a sin that she never thought she would commit in a million years. Despite being Elena's best friend, Bonnie had quietly judged her for her complicated involvement with the Salvatore brothers. Who goes around kissing and fooling around with brothers? That kind of thing was considered trashy and frowned down upon. Elena only got away with it because she was innocent and everyone could forgive her of any transgressions that she would commit. Now Bonnie finds herself in Elena's shoes, but it was worse because despite kissing both brothers, she didn't have any romantic feelings towards them at all. Or did she?

"I feel like I'm losing my mind," she groans as her eyes roll upwards towards the ceiling.

"Perhaps, I can lend you a hand in helping you find it, love."

Bonnie stops pacing as Enzo's soft, yet amused voice came from the other side of the door. She can't help but notice that her heart beat speeds up a little and a small smile grace her lips. Even though she is still pissed off at him and wants to keep some distance between them, she cannot help that she is still reactionary to the sound of his voice. There is something about to smooth and crisp accent that carries through with every word that always sent a pulse of warmth blooming inside of her belly. It is one of her very many weakness when it came to the man she had fallen hopelessly in love with.

"What do you want?" she asks quietly as she nervously toys with a strand of her chocolate locks.

"I want you to open the door and let me in, Bonnie," he pleads softly, "I just need to see that you are okay."

Bonnie knows that she can only avoid him so long, so she decides that it's t time to pull the band aide off and get her face to face with Enzo over with.

Mumbling under her breath, the boundary spell she had placed over the room to prevent the vampires from coming in immediately slips a way. Seconds later, the door opens and Enzo quietly makes his way inside the room. His face shows that he is surprised that she had complied, but he wasn't about to complain.

As he stands with his hands folded across his chest, Bonnie stares at him not knowing exactly what to say.

The last time that they had tried to talk, hurtful words had been spoken, outrageous accusations have been thrown around, and things had gotten ugly. Bonnie wasn't sure if she had the strength or will power to go through all that again. She was sick and tired of being sick and tired and just wanted her life to be quiet, peaceful and drama free.

"I guess we should talk," she murmers in agreement as she takes a seat on the edge of the bed. "Before we start, there is something I need to know. Stefan wouldn't tell me why he snapped your neck when I was talking with Damon. Maybe you can shine some light on why he decided to attack you."

Enzo grimaces at the unpleasnt memory. "Stefan and I were watching you and Damon arguing in the back yard. Damon kissed you and Stefan was less than pleased. I made the comment about Damon always getting the girl, and the next thing I know," he snaps his fingers, "Lights out."

Bonnie face grows hot as she scratches a space above her eye awkwardly.

"Damon made a move on me. It wasn't like I encouraged him," she defends herself fiercely.

Enzo nods in agreement. "I know love. It's just that it's a lot to take in. Just a couple of days ago we were enjoying the life of domesticated bliss and now I have to live with the fact that you have mange to kiss not one, but two Salvatore brothers in the span of twenty four bloody hours."

Bonnie doesn't miss the obvious bitterness at the end of the statement and her green eyes narrow in annoyance.

Green eyes narrow in annoyance. "If you came here to judge me for me kissing Stefan and Damon kissing me, you should probably just go."

Enzo inwardly kicks himself. This is not going according to plan. He came to her to make things right, not to make things even worse than they already were.

"I'm sorry." He apologizes immediatly, "That came out wrong. I was just making an observation. I am no position to judge you. I just came her to give you the apology that I should have given you earlier."

"I'm listening," Bonnie says as she nibbles on her bottom lip softly.

"My behavior earlier was atrocious," he confesses with a look of shame on his face. "I should have been on my knees begging you to forgive me and instead I was defensive, jealous and insecure and I said terrible things that I know hurt you deeply." He pauses to move closer to her and is pleased when she doesn't shrink away from him, "I love you with every fiber of my being and I know that despite everything that has happened, you still love me to.. So as much as I want to change your mind about us being separated, I am going to do the right thing an accept it. If it's time apart that you need to try and figure out if and when you can forgive me, I will respect that. I just want you to know that no matter what you decide, I will always be here waiting for you. I will never give up on us."

Bonnie feels her bottom lip tremble dangerously, but she is determined not to shed a single tear. She is tired of crying. It seems like that it's all that she had been doing lately and it was getting exhausting.

"I know that you love me and I will take everything that you just said into consideration," she began softly as she slowly lifts her head to stare into his sad brown eyes, "I can't promise you anything at this point."

"I understand that. Just know that I will make this right again, Bonnie Bennett. You have my word," he murmurs with nothing but sincerity reflecting in his big brown eyes. "I just need to know that you still love me."

Bonnie breaks thier gaze to look at her feet. Starring into his eyes was too painful. Of course she still loves him, and she can clearly see that he loves her but she cannot bring herself to give him the reassurance that he needs. Her dignity is hanging on barely by a shred and her heart is too fragile.

"Bonnie, look at me," he requests softly.

Bonnie shakes her head and tries to turn away from him, but too her charign he uses his vampire speed to stand before her once more. She stiffens when he takes her chin between his index finger and thumb and tilt her head back so that he can make eye contact with her.

"Bonnie, I need to know," he insists hoarsely, "Do you still love me?"

The witch in question wets her lips as she feels her palms grow hot and sweaty. This is what she didn't want to happen. She didn't want Enzo to get under her skin and appeal to the side of her that wanted nothing more then to throw herself in his arms and forgive him for everything that had happened.

"Enzo, I..." she is interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat.

Turning around, her eyes widened as she finds Damon leaning in the threshold of the room eating a green apple with a curious expression on his pale and handsome face.

"What do you want, Damon?" she inquires coolly.

The raven haired vampire lifted his hands in surrender. "No need to bite my head off, sister. I was just coming to tell you that a gentleman caller has come to see you. It's Ric's little stooge Dorian."

Bonnie blinks confused before it dawns on her that she had completly forgot about the meeting that she arranged with the Occult intern earlier that morning.

"Has he been waiting long?" Bonnie asks anxiously as she quickly slips her feet into her black flats while smoothing her hand over the shirt that has gotten wrinkled due to her tossing and turning in bed moments ago.

"No," Damon responds. "He just got here and is waiting for you in the study down the hall."

Enzo turns to Bonnie curiously. "What possible reason could you have for meeting up with Dorian?"

"He has some information about the Maxwell Journal that could be useful to us. Ric told him that he should meet up with us to discuss his findings," she explains hastily as she walks over to the mirror connected to the dresser and began to run her fingers through her chocolate brown locks hoping to make herself look presentable. Even though she wasn't the vain type, Bonnie Bennett always likes to make a good first impression. While Damon watches her amused while Enzo forces a smile.

"Let's not keep him waiting love," he mumbles before stalking out of the room haughtily.

Bonnie frowns momentarilly. It's obvious he didn't take to kindly to her primping for the benefit of a complete stranger. She prepares to follow in his wake when Damon blocks her path with a small smile on his lips.

"You're mad at me," he states dryly.

"I'm surprised that you figured that out on your own Captain Obvious," she says before she brushes past him and makes her way down the hall towards the study. Unfortunately for the Bennett witch, Damon falls in step beside her.

"We need to talk," he presses.

Bonnie stops walking and turns to face him with a stony look on her pretty face.

"Every vampire in my life, with the exception of Caroline, is on probation. Enzo cheated, you lied, and Stefan continue to prove that he is an habitual line stepper. I am done trying to turn a blind eye to all of your crap, so if you think you want any kind of friendship with me, you are going to have to earn it because I am done giving passes out for bullshit behavior. So if you want me to actually believe that you feel bad for the things you have done. Show me. Otherwise, we have nothing left to talk about." Her words are not only cutting but they are venomous and feels them slice through his soul like flying ninja stars. He knew that everyone in that house had pushed Bonnie to her limit, but he hadn't known that they had pushed her this far. He could see it in her verdant green eyes that she was sick and tired and absolutely fed up and he couldn't blame her.

"Fair enough," he sighs before following her into the study.

Dorian immediatly rises from the couch when the witch and vampire walks into the room. He can clearly sense the tension between Bonnie and Damon and it makes the room fill with awkward tension.

"Bonnie, right?" he says uneasily, "I hope that I didn't come at a bad time."

Bonnie brushed past Stefan and offered Dorian a warm smile before extending her hand to the uncomfortable Occult intern.

"Your timing is perfect. It's nice to meet you in person Dorian," she said as they exchanged an brief handshake.

"Likewise," he responds shyly, "This place is incredible."

Dorain can't hide his awe at how huge and old worldly the study appears. It is tastefully furnished and has more books than he could wrap his mind around. He feels envious. If he lived in a place like that, the study was where he would spend most of his time and his nose would be so deep into books that he would never bother coming up for air.

Would you like some tea? Water? Bourbon?" she offers politely.

Damon glares at the back of Bonnie's head at the sound of her offering up his top shelf liquor. His Burbon is reserved for family, friends, and women he plans to screw. Not some old flunky that Ric happened to take under his old and weathered wing.

"I wouldn't mind a Burbon," Dorian requests shyly futher earning Damon's quiet ire.

Stefan hovers near the fireplace while Damon and Bonnie heads over to the wet bar. As she reaches for the expensive crystal decanter, Damon beats her to it causing her to scowl.

"Here," he offered haughtily, "Allow me."

As he pours the amber colored liquor into three small tumblers, Damon's gaze never leaves Bonnie's face. Their silent s tarring contest is amusing to the raven haired vampire, but not so much to the annoyed witch. The corners of his eyes crinkle as he smile a little too brightly before bringing the glass up to his lips and taking an obnoxious gulp before slamming it back down on the bar. His mouth is wet from the Bourbon and a few drop linger precariously on his bottom lip causing Bonnie fingers to itch. As it trickles down his chin, she reaches up and brushes away the wetness with her thumb. His blue eyes widened as he is caught off by the gesture, but before he can even speak, Bonnie has already turned away from him and was heading back over to Dorian with two half full crystal tumblers in her hands.

"Thanks," Dorian smiles as he accepts the glass that is offered to him.

"Now that you are on your way to be being lubicated with my very expensive Bourbon, why don't you return the favor and tell us what was so intriguing in that little Maxwell Journal," Damon suggests with a smirk as he sits in a tall black arm chair and cross one ankle over the other.

"Here's the thing. I'm afraid that I don't have the journal in my possession anymore," Dorian admits apologetically.

Damon sucks his teeth loudly and rolls his eyes. "Count on Ric's imcompetent underling to lose the only piece of leverage we had on Cade."

"I didn't lose it," Dorian snaps defensively, " It was taken from me."

"By whom?" Enzo asks suspciously.

"Kai," Dorian mumbles nervously.

Bonnie feels heat and anger flare inside of her chest. She should have known that Kai would continue to meddle in her affairs, and for him to drag an innocent man into a very dangerous situation...it makes her extremely upset.

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" Bonnie asks gently as she places a comforting hand on Dorian's arm.

Damon smirks as he watches Dorian blush beneath the little witch's touch.

"No," he reassurres her quickly, "He thought I was capable of being compelled and so I kind of went along with it. He thinks that just because he burned the copy of the journal that I am completely harmless. What he doesn't know is that I can recall every single thing that Maxwell had written down."

Damon whistled quietly. "Smart move. It would appear that Ric didn't enlist the help of a complete idiot after all."

Bonnie clenches her tiny fingers into a fist as she glares at him annoyed. "Damon, if you insist on being an ass, just leave. Dorian doesn't have to be here. He can just go home and you can find a way to come up with saving you and Stefan's soul from being condemned to eternal damnation," she snaps. "So what's it going to be? Are you going to sit there and be quiet or are you going to come up with a plan to stop Cade all by your lonesome and fail miserably?"

Damon makes a face, but remains silent much to the delight of everyone in the room. Pleased, Bonnie turns to Dorian with a warm smile.

"Now that there will be no more interruptions, please continue," she encourages.

"Kai came to my place and "compelled" me to hand over the journal. After I complied, he interrogated me, set the pages of the journal on fire and then he disappeared into thin air," he informs shuddering internally as he recalled the unpleasant experience.

"What did the hell did bloody bastard want to know?" Enzo growls agitated.

Dorian takes another sip of his Burbon hissing softly as it burns a path down his chest. "He wanted to know if I read the entire journal and if I told anyone what I found. I told him no on both accounts." He pauses and glances at Bonnie curiously. "Your name came up and he made it clear that you two have some pretty complicated history. The dude kind of seemed unhinged and obsessed, but he did mention something that I found interesting. Apparently Cade permanently disposed of Sybil."

Bonnie eyes widen in surprise. That is the last thing she was expecting to hear come out of Dorian's mouth. Sybil was Cade's loyal disciple for generations. Why would he suddenly decide to take her out now?

"Looks like things are looking up for you Bon Bon," Stefan says mockingly with a teasing smirk.

Bonnie has to admit that she feels a sense of relief knowing that the siren won't be reeking havoc in her life or in her love life anymore. Still, the mystery behind her death was still something that troubled her on a certain level. Whatever she had done to cross Cade must have been extraordinarily bad.

"Ding dong the little siren witch is dead," Damon sings lazily as he pushes himself to his feet and stands in front of Dorian with his arms crossed, "Now tell us more about this Maxwell Journal?"

For the next fifteen minutes, Dorian explains what he has learned by throughly going over what he had memorized of the Maxwell Journal. Bonnie is noticeably enthralled when the young occult intern discusses the close relationship between Bonnie's ancestor Beatrice and Matt Donovan's ancestor, Ethan. It causes her heart to feel some kind of way when she realizes that Beatrice and Ethan had the potential to have a love story that sounds like the stuff legends were made from, but was cut short prematurely due to Sybil and her sister's evil manipulation. Maybe if Sybil would have never been able to get her hooks into Ethan, Matt and Bonnie would have ended being distant cousins or down the line. The thought makes her want to both laugh and cringe. A part of her thinks that it would have been extremely weird, but another part of her feels like nothing would really be different. Matt is the closest thing she has to a brother, all things considered, them being related would have only strengthen their bond.

"Are you familiar with biblical scripture by any chance?" Dorian's voice broke Bonnie out of her deep thoughts.

Bonnie thinks back to the very few times that her Grams would drag her to church when she was younger. She recalled sitting in the pew and obediently listening as the preacher delivered the word of God on a late Sunday morning. Most of the times, her thoughts would always be a million miles away. Sometimes she would day dream about playing with Elena and Caroline at the park. Other times, she would fixate on the beautiful stained glass windows of the church reflecting many different significant events from the Bible.

Shoving the fond memories to the back of her mind, she cleared her throat and smiled sheepishly. "Besides knowing the shortest verse in the Bible is that Jesus wept, not really," she admitted causing Dorian to laugh amused. "Why do you ask?"

"There was a mention of a book of the Bible followed by the number of a chapter and verse." He pauses sheepishly as he scratches the back of his head awkwardly, "I don't really know the scripture off the top of my head, so I will need a Bible to decipher it. I should have taken the one Kai abandoned when he showed up at my place."

Bonnie obviously has questions. "Kai showed up at your place with a Bible?" she laughs, "Are you sure it was a Bible?"

Dorian nods. "He was pretending to be a Jehovah witness so that he could gain access to my house."

Damon and Bonnie can't help but to burst out laughing uncontrollably. The image of the demon spawn heretic sporting an innocent smile while claiming to spread the love of God was down right hysterical.

"Can you imagine Kai actually trying to play the part of a decent human being?" Damon snorts shaking his head.

"I would try to imagine it but it would make my head explode," she chuckles as they exchange knowing looks.

Stefan clears his throat grabbing everyone's attention in the room.

"There's a Bible on the top shelf of the bookshelf closest to the window," he informs.

"Seriously? You have the Holy Bible in your possession?" Bonnie stares at him amused.

"What?" Stefan grins deviously as he leans on the back of the couch next to where Bonnie's sitting, "You think just because I am a vampire, I can't be religious? I happen to be well versed in the Quran, Buddhism, and most religions you can think of."

"You eat people, Stefan. I think that goes against pretty much all the commandments," she laughs staring up at him as he flashes his fangs playfully.

Damon rolls his eyes and goes back to the bar for a second helping of Bourbon.

Bonnie lifts her hand and seconds later, a thick black book came flying off the shelves and lands in her hand. Dorian jaws drop open slightly as he stared at her in a mixture of awe and jealousy.

"Is something wrong?" Bonnie asks suddenly feeling self conscious.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to stare. I just think that you having the ability to be telekinetic is very cool," he says shyly.

Stefan leans closer to the blushing witch and whispers, "Show off."

Feeling the tickle of his breath on the side of her face, she gives him a tiny migraine causing him to grunt softly before chuckling quietly.

"So what's this sacred scripture that is going to lead us to the key to taking down?" Enzo inquires trying to ignore the less than subtle flirting between Stefan and Bonnie.

"Genesis chapter two and verse twenty three..," Dorian murmers as he flips through the pages of the first book of the Bible, "And the man said: "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for out of man she was taken."

"Sounds creepy. Do you have any clue as to what it means?" Bonnie asks curiously.

"You should have paid better attention in Sunday School, Bon. Your knowledge of Biblical scripture is limited at best and kind of embarrassing," Damon taunts earning him a dirty look from the frowning witch, "You see, when God created man, he didn't want man to be alone. So he removed one of Adam's ribs and created Eve."

Dorian nods in agreement. "Beatrice followed the scripture up by saying that the enchanted bone along with the ashes of Cade would be powerful enough to defeat him. The only problem is, she didn't specify where the bone could be located."

"So the weapon will be a bone belonging to Cade?" Enzo asks skeptically.

Dorian shakes his head. "Cade is too cunning and too omnipotent let any witch enchant his bones, no matter how powerful they are."

Stefan rubs his chin with a thoughtful look on his face. His mind combed over the scripture several times taking in the different ways that it could be interpreted. He was always down to solve a good mystery. "From my knowledge, the Bennett coven was made up mostly of women." Bonnie nods mutely intrigued to see where his train of thought would lead them. "What if Beatrice and her coven enchanted one of their own bones to become the weapon that would defeat Cade?" he suggests eagerly, "It would mean that Cade couldn't touch them and the only person who could actually gain access to this enchanted bone was actually one of their descendants? If you think about it, it's pretty ingenious and has a perfect symmetry to it."

Bonnie balks looking a little green around the gills.. "So are you telling me that I may have to go dig up my ancestors graves one by one and see which ones bones is the key to defeating Cade and Sybil?"

"Maybe," Dorian murmurs cryptically, "Maybe not."

Damon hums thoughfully as he folds his hands behind his head and lean back in his chair as he stares up at the ceiling.

"Did little Ms. Beatrice happened to mention where Cade was burnt into a crisp? It would be nice to know where to collect his ashes," Damon asks curiously.

"There was mentions of a place called Linosa. I believe that this is the location of his mortal death and the creation of hell," Dorian revealed, "But I wasn't so into my geography class in high school so I can't begin to tell you where it's located."

Stefan's bushy eyebrows rose noticably. "That's a small island in the Mediteranns. It's actually more closer to Africa than it is to Sicily."

Bonnie can't help but smile as the feeling of excitement course through her entire body. "So if we go to this place and get the ashes and find the bone, we will have the weapon we need to defeat Cade."

"There is only one problem with that love," Enzo interupts gently, "Who will be the unlucky bastards that will have to dig up your ancestors bones and determine which one is enchanted?"

"Maybe there is another way that doesn't have to involve desicating a bunch of witches graves and risk being cursed for the rest of our lives," Damon suggests. "Bonnie isn't the only surviving Bennett witch roaming the earth. We can always call mama bear to town and ask her a little insight."'

Bonnie hates to admit it but Damon was right. Calling in Abby for assistance would make a lot of sense given the fact that she was more knowledgeable about the Bennett's family history.

Bonnie rubs her hands together eagerly before putting her game face on.

"Here's what is going to happen. Stefan and I are going to go to this island and find the ashes of Cade. Damon is going to work with Abby to find the enchanted bone while keeping an eye on the Founder's Counsel. Enzo, you are going to take Dorian and his girlfriend to a safehouse. Once Kai learns that Dorian deceived him, he is going to be out for blood and I'm not going to allow anymore innocent people to get hurt on my watch," Bonnie says firmly.

Looking around the room, it is clear to see that two out of the three vampires in the room is not pleased.

"Is there something you would like to say, Enzo?" Stefan asks tilting his head slightly to the side as he observes the other man.

. "I'm not really comfortable with you and Bonnie going off together considering everything that has happened." Pregnant pause. "I think Stefan can take Dorian to safety while Bonnie and I go to this island. We work well together and it would give us some time to reconnect."

Bonnie opens her mouth to protests but somehow Damon beats her to the point she is trying to make.

"This isn't some romantic get away, Enzo," Damon reminds him patiently, "This is mission. Operation save all of our souls from eternal damnation."

Bonnie frowns. "I'm not calling it that."

Damon rolls his eyes. "Whatever. The point is that, despite my reservations about these two going out of the country together, they are the ideal team to go. Bonnie can use her magic to track down the Cade's ashes and Stefan can be her muscle and watch her back while she searches for it. My only complaint is that I shouldn't have to be stuck with Abby. I'm the reason why she is a vampire and it's obvious that she hates me." He points out. "There is no way she is going to want to work with me without you being present.

Bonnie leveled her gaze at him before shooting a saccharine smile in his direction. "Maybe you should try kissing her. You seem to think that's an acceptable tool to use to manipulate people."

The smile on Damon's face freezes. He knows it is in his best intrest to ignore her statement, but the challenging look in her fierce green eyes gives him pause. The room fell heavy with tension as Damon trains his eyes on the stoic Bennett witch while he slowly closes the distance between them. He can feel her magic pulsating as if to send him a warning sign not to test his luck, but Damon is in a particular mood and he isn't about to back down from the little witch giving orders without giving her a little taste of her medicine.

"You should really take that back Bon Bon," he warns softly.

"And why should I?" she challenges him defiantly.

He wets his lips before glaring down at her with coldness crackling on the surface eyes. "I just think that much like our kiss, your need to be petty is very disappointing."

He knows it's a big fat lie the moment the words leave his mouth. The kiss had been incredible and he had replayed it in his mind several times throughout the day, including the ten minutes he had spent abusing his self in the shower. However, his pride was far too great to stand there and let his little witch humiliate him without firing back and if he has to tell a little white to knock her down a peg or two, then so be it.

All eyes in the room flickers from Damon back to the witch who mouth parts slightly as she seethes visibly.

"Kiss my ass Damon," she spats angrily.

"Ooh," he wiggles his eyebrows suggestively before leaning forwards slightly with his arms folded across his chest, "Bend over and show me where, Bon Bon."

Before Bonnie could fire off an insult, Enzo intervenes.!

"That's enough you two," he warns amused, "No one will be bending over and no one is going to be kissing anything if I have a say."

"Consider how Bonnie literally broke up with your hours ago, I don't think you do," Stefan reminds bluntly as he massages his jaw.

While Enzo tells Stefan in a colorful way to mind his own buisness, Bonnie closes her eyes and slowly begins to massage her temples. All this back and forth is starting to make her head hurt.

Dorian, who is clearly uncomfortable, excuses himself from the room and makes his way downstairs.

"You can't be trusted. Not when it comes to her," Enzo argues heatedly.

Bonnie intervenes quickly.

"Stefan had my back last night and I'm trusting him to have my back on this trip. Just let it go," she pleads.

"It's not your back that I fear he will be watching, "Enzo hisses not bothering to hide his obvious jealousy.

Stefan smirks before heading towards the exit of the study. "Don't worry, Enzo," he says in a smug tone, "I will make sure to watch every inch of her."

As he disappears out the room, Enzo makes a threatening move to go after him when Bonnie stops him.

"We don't have time for this," she sighs exasperated, "We are running out of time."

Enzo huffs frusterated. "Are you really going to stand there and tell me I have nothing to worry about when he makes lewd comments like that?"

"I can't control what he says, Enzo," she protests.

He opens his mouth to responds but then swallows his words and shakes his head. He knows that Stefan wants there to be discord in his relationship, so it would make sense that the devious vampire would try to goad him into picking a fight with Bonnie on the night that she is planning to go away for a couple of days. If Bonnie was cross with him, it would make her more vulnerable to Stefan's manipulations, and while Enzo wants nothing more than to knock Stefan's annoyingly white teeth down his throat, he knows it's best if he just bites his tongue and try to appear unaffected by Stefan's underhanded comments.

"You're right, love. I'm sorry," he apologizes softly as he backs away from her, "I should get going. Dorian is downstairs waiting for me."

Bonnie feels her heart twist inside of her chest as she watches Enzo make his way out of the room with a defeated look on his face. Even though Bonnie knows she doesn't owe him anything, the sympathetic part of her couldn't let him leave. Not like this.

"Enzo wait," she calls out before she descends down the staircase going after him.

The dark haired vampire turns around. He is stunned when Bonnie flings her arms around his neck and hugs him tightly. There are things that she can't say to him right now, but she wants him to know that despite the bitter feelings between them, she still cares about him. When they pull apart, Enzo brushes his lips against her forehead before squeezing her fingers. Gracing her with one last smile, he turns and walks away from her.

Bonnie watches with a heavy heart as Enzo and Dorian walks out the front door. She takes a moment to manage her emotions before turning around and facing both Salvatore brothers who are standing in the foyer and watching her closely. She is use to feeling like a grain under a microscope when it came to Damon, but now that Stefan was wearing a matching inquisitive look on his face, she was quickly beginning to feel unnerved and uneasy.

"I guess I should get on a phone and finds flights that are leaving in the next few hours," Bonnie glances awkwardly at her wrist watch.

"Don't bother. With one phone call, I can have a private jet and a pilot on hand that will take us wherever we need to go," Stefan informs.

Bonnie arches an eyebrow inquisitvely. "Do I even want to know how you manage to have that kind of access?"

Stefan grins showing all his teeth. "Let's just say that the wife of a certain CEO and millionaire tycoon happens to be a very eager blood enthusiast. She lets me feed and fuck her on occasions and in return, she lets me have access to all kind of things."

Bonnie groansa disgusted. She really did regret asking.

"Since you have everything covered, I'm going to go upstairs and grab my bag," she mumbles, "Just come get me when it's time to leave."

Damon walks over to her and blocks her path.

"What?" she whines unhappily.

Stefan green eyes dart between Damon and Bonnie and he can't help but smirk. The energy between them is pretty tense and Bonnie and his brother both look completely awkward.

"I would really like for us to have a conversation before you leave," he requests softly.

She crosses her arms over her chest and blows out a mouthful of air before looking at him. "If you want to have a conversation about that disappointing kiss, I think you said all there is to say."

Damon feels completly disgusted with himself. He wish he could take back his insult from earlier. He wishes that he could tell her that it was the furthest thing from disappointing. He wants to tell her that the kiss had been better than he could have ever imagined. He wants to tell her the truth, but he knows that if he does, she wouldn't believe him, and why should she? He had severely damaged their bond of trust and it was going to take more than a few pretty words, a well meaning kiss, and a couple of days of space to earn it back. Still, he knows that he needs to try. He just doesn't feel right letting her leave to go to some mysterious island when things between them was extremely fragile and complicated.

Testing his luck and Bonnie's thinly veiled patience, he moves closer to her with a disarming smile. "If you agree to have a conversation with me, I think I might be persuaded to whip you up a couple of vamp cakes for you to snack on during your flight."

At the mention of Damon's vamp cakes, Bonnie rolls her eyes and tries not to smile but fails miserably.

"I hate your stupid vamp cakes," she reminds him with a glare.

Damon grins. "See, you just hurt my feelings, so I think that it's only fair that you make it up to me by letting me get some things off my chest."

Bonnie can clearly see that he is being openly manipulative, but a part of her doesn't want to leave while things were still heavy between them. She had already had the dreaded conversation with Enzo who had hurt her worse than anyone. What was the harm of hearing Damon out?

"I guess we can talk before I leave," she relents as her moss green eyes narrow dangerously, "Just try to keep your mouth to yourself this time.".

Without another word, Bonnie spins on her heels and disappears up the stairs.

Stefan soft chuckles captures Damon's attention and annoyance.

"What?" the blue eyed vampire sighs annoyed.

"I'm just use to seeing you and Bon Bon so buddy buddy," he says with a shrug of his shoulder, "It's kind of weird seeing you two on the outs."

"She and I have had our rough patches before. We are going to get through this so don't worry your pretty little head about it." Damon says confidently as he walks into the kitchen. He is suddenly thirsty for a blood bag.

Stefan follows him feeling thoughtful. "Maybe this trip to the island is just what she needs, you know? I mean after dealing with a scheming siren, a cheating boyfriend and a lying best friend, a couple of days lounging around a beach wouldn't be bad for her. If anyone deserves a little decompressing, it's her."

Damon doesn't disagree, but he feels the need to reiterate Bonnie's earlier point. "Bonnie deserves a break, but she said it herself that this wasn't some romantic getaway or vacation. She knows her priorities."

"Maybe she should start prioritizing herself," Stefan suggests as he take a seat at the kitchen's island and props his elbows up on the granite counter.

"Maybe you should point that out after we are not facing eternal damnation," Damon says lazily as he opens the cabinet in search for a cup.

"You know what? I think I am going to make it my mission to make her mental and emotional health my priority," Stefan suggests with a slight tilt of his head, "Maybe some mai tai's on the beach and a nice hot rock massage given to her by yours truly will be good for her."

Damon doesn't answer. He is pretending to be completely focus on pouring the contents of his AB negative in his favorite coffee mug. He knows that Stefan is trying to bait him. Other than the fact that his right eye twitches ever so slightly, his face gives no other revelations that his baby brother was slowly starting to get on his last nerve.

Stefan leans back in his chair watching the thinly veiled rage spread across Damon's face. "If I'm lucky, she'll let me pick up where we left off last night. I have several diffrent theories on how I could put a smile back on that pretty little face of hers."

And just like that, Damon's last nerve snaps.

"I know what you are not so subtly hinting at and trust me, I'm not impress and I have a feeling Bonnie won't be eithier," Damon seethes, "Do yourself a favor and just back off. The last thing Bonnie needs is for you to cross a line that will end up with her eventually getting hurt."

"I'm going to be alone with a beautiful little witch on a cozy island half way around the world," Stefan says mischeviously as he wets his lips, "What's the worse that can happen?"

 _ **Endnote: Because what is fanfiction without a international flight across the world to a mysterious island with an attractive vampire and a beautiful witch? Stay tune for the next installment. The next chapter is like a Bonus filler chapter. I didn't want Bonnie to leave for the mysterious island without at least having a healthy conversation with Damon about their friendship.**_


	22. Chapter 22

_**AN: So my life as of lately has been like a country song gone wrong. I pretty much gave up on everything including this story, and for that, I apologize. I recently decided to pick it back up, and I will try to stick with it. Love you guys.**_

 _ **...**_

 _ **"Ladies and gentlemen, this is Denise Scott**_ _ **and I'm your chief flight attendant. On behalf of Captain James and the our crew, welcome aboard. We are leaving Mystic Falls, Virginia and flying non stop to Linosa, Greece. Our flight time will be thirty hours and ten minutes. We will flying at an altitude of 33,OOO feet at a ground speed of two hundred miles per hour. At this time, make sure your seats are in an upright position, and that your seat belt is correctly**_ _ **fastened. Also, your portable electronic devices must be set to airplane mode until an announcement is made. If you have any questions,**_ _ **please don't hesitate to ask one of our crew members. We wish you all an enjoyable flight. Thank you."**_

 _ **...**_

As the cheerful flight attendant fluttered through the small cabin of the private jet making last minute preparations for the flight, Bonnie sat in a window seat trying not to let her anxiety get the best of her. From the moment she had boarded the plane, her time had spent biting her nails, crossing and uncrossing her legs, and forcing herself to swallow back the bile that was slowly rising in the back of her throat. Even though this was her third time flying, she was quickly discovering that each time seemed worse than the last. The first time she had flown had been on her cure finding trip to Canada where she had gone to Nova Scotia to secure the cure from the desiccated hands of an immortal. Her second flight had been when she had accompanied Alaric and Damon on a booze filled trip to Amsterdam. It wasn't the fact that her ears would pop annoyingly and she would somehow always find herself vomiting violently hours after landing at the determined destination that had her feeling nervous. It was the thought of being trapped inside of a flying metal coffin that could fall out the sky ending in her fiery death made her feel like passing out.

As she teased her bottom lip in between her teeth, she began to think about the diffrent ways that her fear of flight had affected her life. It was because of her crippling Acrophobia that Bonnie had spent most of her life avoiding things that would force her feet to leave the ground. When she was a cheerleader, Bonnie would volunteer to toss Elena and Caroline in the air while she remained firmly on the ground. During carnivals and fairs, her friends would all rush to the nearest and most dangerous roller coasters while Bonnie had eagerly opted for riding the carousel. She knew that her fear was laughable given the fact that her supernatural resume included coming back from the dead, taking down immortals and psychotic Originals, and escaping a retro prison world. Despite the brave heroics from her past, when it came to dealing with her aversion of heights, Bonnie was embarrassed to find herself folding like a cheap suit.

Inhaling deeply, she turned her attention away from the window, she stared down at her lap where her fingers were clasped together as if she was preparing to pray. She wasn't a very religious person, but if saying the Lord's prayer would increase her chances of flying several thousand miles in a steel coffin, it couldn't hurt. Right? As she closed her eyes, she began to mumble quietly under her breath as she struggled to recall the traditional prayer that her grams had taught her when she was a young girl. Unfortunately, her nervous prayer was cut short by the sound of soft sniggering. Her eyes flew open and narrowed in annoyance when she found Stefan, who was sitting directly across from her, staring at her amused.

"What?" she snapped feeling self-concious as she pulled her hoodie sleeves over her hands that were beginning to sweat profusely.

"Nothing," he chuckled deeply as his eyes danced with amusement. "I just can't remember the last time that I saw a witch so eloquently butcher the Lord's Prayers."

Bonnie scowled and was preparing to say something rather unpleasant back to the smirking vampire when she decided not to waste her breath. If she was going to be stuck on the plane for hours, the last thing she wanted to do was go back and forth with Stefan while dealing with her crippling anxiety.

"It's okay to pray before every flight. I do," a soft womanly voice grabbed Bonnie's attention.

"That's nice," Bonnie mumbled forcing a smile as she stared at Marie, the junior flight attendant.

She was a tall and imposing woman with long raven black hair and big gray eyes. Her lips was full, her face was petite and exotic and she was wearing so much perfume that it practically filled every inch of the cabin. Usually Bonnie wouldn't pay such close attention to strangers, but the fact that she was brazenly sprawled across the lap of her vampire companion that was sitting directly in front of her was kind of hard to ignore. Although Marie was wearing the traditional flight attendant uniform, her skirt rose several inches above her knees exposing her voluptuous thighs that were being devoured by Stefan's greedy forest green eyes and explored by his large, rough hand.

Apparently, her response wasn't dismissive enough, because Marie continued to chat aimlessly.

"Just to let you know, it's perfectly normal to be nervous. If it makes you feel better, I read somewhere that the odds of a person dying in a plane crash is one and a million. I also read that the odds of being murdered is one in eighteen thousand, so if you it makes you feel better, you are more likely to die at the hands of a psychotic killer than you are to go down in a fiery plane crash," Marie informed with a gentle smile.

Bonnie and Stefan locked eyes and the smile he gave her was all teeth as he struggled to keep himself from laughing. The fact that this poor woman was spouting these facts while in the loose embrace of a serial killer was an irony that Stefan clearly found ironically amusing.

"You have no idea at how reassuring I find that fact to be," Bonnie said dryly before clearing her throat.

"Is this your first time flying?" the chatty flight attendant asked curiously.

"No," Bonnie mumbled sheepishly as she scratched the space above her right eyebrow. "Why would you think that?"

"She can tell because you literally look like you are about to throw up," Stefan mumbled with a mouth full of the young flight attendant's throat.

If looks could kill, Stefan would have been dead several times over from the glare that Bonnie was sending his way.

"Didn't your psychotic mother ever teach you that it's rude to speak with your mouth full?" she grumbled annoyed.

Bonnie's harsh insult caused Maria to gasp in disbelief. It was obvious that she was uncomfortable with Bonnie openly insulting the mother of the current object of her affection. Stefan, on the other hand, appeared to be completely amused as he turned his complete attention on to the flight attendant showing he was clearly unaffected by Bonnie's petty insult.

"Maybe you should worry less about what I'm doing and focus more on relaxing." Stefan said wetting his bottom lip, before turning his attention back to Maria. He teasingly walked his index and middle finger up her outside thigh smirking as he enjoyed watching her exhale sharply from the anticipation of being sexually satisfied.

Bonnie glowered at Stefan with her mouth pinched into a tight line. It was clear by the way Stefan stared at her unabashed as he molested the flight attendant that he was doing it to get a reaction out of her and she was determined not to give him the satisfaction of seeing her bothered.

"Maybe if I had the pilot of the plane curled up on my lap while I shamelessly fondled him, I would be a little less tense," Bonnie scowled, her olive green eyes flashing indignantly.

The flight attendant blushed deeply and made a move to disembark off of Stefan's lap, but he wrapped his arm tighter around her waist holding her in place.

"Don't worry about my little friend, sweetheart. Being judgemental is practically wired in her DNA," Stefan sighed rolling his eyes.

Bonnie tried schooling her features as she felt a rush of annoyance surge through her at the sight playing out in front of her. Even though she felt a little awkward witnessing Stefan display his affection and obvious desire for the blushing and sexually eager woman, the young witch remained silent. While she was internally having a melt down over flying, Stefan appeared to be completely at eased and unbothered as he trailed his tongue from the woman's collarbone up to the tip of her pierced earlobe. Maria wanted to enjoy the attention Stefan was generously showing her, but it was awkward when there was such a heavy tension in the air between the two passengers who seemed to be at odds with one another. Clearing her throat, she pushed Stefan away before turning her attention back towards Bonnie.

"Listen. If you are that nervous, I have some Dramamine in my bag," she offered generously.

"I think she is probably going to need something a little stronger," Stefan snorted, "Be a sweet heart and bring us the bottle of Dom that you have on ice."

It's not recommended to mix drugs with alcohol," she warned as she slowly rose from the vampire's lap.

"She'll manage," Stefan said with a crooked smile before slapping Marie's ass causing her to squeak softly.

As the young woman scurried away to carry out "Mr. Salvatore's" wishes, Bonnie stared at Stefan with a smirk.

"She's seems very eager to please ," she noticed wryly.

"That tends to happen when women sit on my lap. They can't help but to feel relaxed and filled with joy," he bragged arrogantly as he spread his legs wider before giving her a salacious look. "If you would like, you can come sit on me and experience that kind of happiness for yourself."

Bonnie rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest. "Hard pass."

Feeling undeterred by her coldness, Stefan rose from his seat and made himself comfortable in the aisle seat next to her.

"I can't help but feel all of this attitude is because you didn't really like watching me play with my food," he drawled lazily as he traced circles around the inside of her wrist.

Bonnie flinched as she turned her head to glare at him heatedly.

"My attitude is because you lack self control?" she snapped.

"Self control?" he echoed drolly.

Bonnie sighed exsperated as she stared straight into his eyes. "Just because someone throws themselves at you doesn't mean you have to indulge them. It's not a bad thing to actually have standards."

Stefan whistled lowly as he slouched down in his seat and crossed one ankle over the other. "Jealousy doesn't look good on most people, but you manage to wear it well."

Bonnie laughed incredulously. "Why the hell would I be jealous?"

Stefan looked up from examining his nails with a caculating look on his handsome face. "I can't be certain, but I think it has something to do with the fact that Marie will have the pleasure of learning why I am called a fucking god in the bedroom while you are still left wondering?"

"You are disgusting," she spat. "She isn't just a piece of meat, Stefan. She deserves better than being felt up and snacked on."

Stefan whistled feeling aroused and amused by her palpable anger. He knew that Bonnie would never approve of his shenanigans which is why he so openly and unapologetically provoked her. Deciding to take his agonizing a little bit further, he leaned closer to her until his shoulder brushed against hers.

"If memory serves me right, you didn't mind me feeling you up and snacking on you not so long ago," he teased slyly as he dragged his finger lightly across the curve of her cheek. "All you have to do is say the word and you can easily take her place."

He was both amused and chastized when Bonnie slapped his hand away before pinning him down with a withering glare.

"Since your little friend like odds so much, you should call her over and asks her what are the odds that I would willing volunteer to be something that you hit and quit. I bet its astronomical," she said as ice and contempt dripped from her words.

Stefan laughed. "I bet it's not."

Before they could continue to go back and forth, Maria returned with a gray wool blanket, a bottle of motion sickness meds, and a apologetic smile.

Here you go." Marie smiled before handing Bonnie the bottle of Dom and pills before draping the gray blanket across her lap.

"Thank you," Bonnie said polietly before popping the pills in her mouth and downing the Dom Perignon in the champagne flute in one swift gulp.

 **"Ladies and gentlemen, the Captain has turned on the fasten seat belt sign. If you haven't already done so, please stow your carry-on luggage in the overhead bin. If you are seated next to an emergency exit, please read carefully the special instructions card located by your seat. If you do not wish to perform the functions described in the event of an emergency, please ask a flight attendant to reseat you. We would like to remind you that this is a non smoking flight. Smoking is prohibited on the entire aircraft, including the lavatories. Tampering with, disabling or destroying the lavatory smoke detectors is prohibited by law. Please stand by as we prepare for take off."**

As the plane began to make its way down the airstrip, Bonnie exhaled sharply as she mentally prepared for take off. On the outside, she was the perfect picture of what it looked like to be unbothered, but on the inside, she was having somewhat of a meltdown. She was quietly considering using a spell to knock her out for the next couple of hours when Bonnie felt the plane slowly leaving the ground and ascending into the air. As they gain altitude, Bonnie feels like their are a tiny little butterflies dancing inside of her stomach and there is a small pressure increasing inside of her ear. She was so focused on trying not to crawl out of her skin that she didn't notice when Stefan wrapped his large hand wrap around her small one until he squeezed her fingers with slight pressure.

"Relax," Stefan murmers as he intertwined his fingers with hers.

Surprised by his kind display of affection, Bonnie looked over and was preparing to thank him, but he already turned his attention back to scrolling through his iPod. Bonnie shook her head amused and caught off guard by his conflicting behavior. One minute, he was practically mauling a flight attendant and taunting her with his lewd and disgusting behavior, and the next, he was holding her hand genuinely trying to offer comfort when he could clearly tell that she was distressed. His mood swings were so abrupt that she felt like she was getting emotional whiplash. As his thumb lightly swirled circles across her knuckles, she exhaled deeply as she felt the muscles in her body relax.

"Why are your eyes burning into the side of my face?" he asked casually as he settled on his favorite Black Metallica album.

"It's amazing how you can go from being this complete ass to a super sweet guy," Bonnie said randomly as she propped her chin up on her fist while staring openly into his half lidded orbs.

A slow grin stretched across his face as he bit his bottom lip softly. "Well to be fair, I could just be pretending to be a gentleman just to get on your good side."

Bonnie smiled. At least he was being honest. Twenty minutes and two glasses of Dom later, Bonnie was relatively buzzed and a lot calmer than she was when they had first taken off. She knew that getting inebriated around a very unstable vampire while several thousand feet up in the air wasn't the brightest idea she ever had, but there was no way she was going to get through the next twelve hours sober.

"I see that your cocktail finally kicked in," he noted amused breaking the heavy silence that had fallen between them.

She nodded flashing him an appreciative smile.

"I feel like I'm flying," she slurred dreamily.

Stefan chuckled as he reach down and squeezed her knee affectionatly. "You are lucky that the cocktail worked, because if it didn't I would have offered to put my cock in your tail and something tells me that you would have enjoyed that much more than the pills and the Dom."

And just like that, a moment that had been nice and sweet was now tarnished by Stefan's unapologetic vulgarity.

Bonnie scowled before slapping his hand away from her leg. Her rebuff barely even registered with him. He simply grinned before turning his lazy gaze onto Maria who was practically eye fucking him from the other side of the cabin.

 **"Ladies and gentlemen, the Captain has turned off the Fasten** **Seat Belt sign, and you may now move around the cabin."**

"That's my cue," Stefan grinned getting to his feet and making his way towards the back of the plane. Bonnie's eyes followed him curiously and narrowed when she spotted Maria waiting outside of the private room with desire dripping from her dark almond eyes. She watched as Stefan stopped in front of her with his arms folded across his chest. Leaning forward, he whispered something in the flight attendant's ear causing the young woman to laugh as she flipped her hair over her shoulder and pressed her body closer to his showing that she was reacting in a positive manner to his thinly veiled flirting. She continued to watch as they conversed back in forth for another minute or two before Stefan reached down and took her hand before leading Maria into the private cabin where he closed the door behind them for privacy. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Stefan was about to have his card punched as a valuable member in the mile high club. The soft gasp of pleasure she heard followed by the sound of a belt being unbuckled confirmed that.

It was times like this that reinforced the tragic fact that Stefan and Damon were in fact brothers. Both men were just oozed sex appeal and seduction like it was branded in their DNA. Women just threw themselves at the feet of the devastatingly handsome vampires and happily allowed themselves to be used for whatever carnal sin that Damon and Stefan seduced them into committing. If she wasn't so disgusted by their womanizing ways, she would admit that there was a tiny piece of her that was envious. Not envious over the fact that she had never been on the receiving end of hot sex with a Salvatore, but envious in the way that they openly and unabashedly gave into their wanton desires and took pleasure in sexual liberation. Bonnie wasn't ashamed that she had only managed to sleep with two people in her life. She wasn't even ashamed that one of those people had been younger than her and the other had been a vampire who had been responsible for nearly getting her killed. What struck a vicious blow to her feminine ego is that both men that she had been involved with had one thing in common and that was being unfaithful to her. That fact made Bonnie reach over and grab the half emptied body of Dom out of the ice bucket before taking a long and unforgiving swig out of the bottle.

As the passionate and extremely x rated noises in the cabin increased, Bonnie closes her eyes and tried to distract herself with thoughts that wouldn't make her focus on the filthy and nasty things taking place in the room several feet away from her. A part of her wished it was Damon who was with her on this journey to some mysterious island to collect a mystical weapon. Damon would have stuck around and kept her company instead of deciding his time was better spent banging it out with the flight attendant. Damon would have engaged her in some pointless banter that would have distracted her from the fact that her Acrophobia was attempting to overwhelm her. Damon would have been better to travel with because unlike Stefan, Damon didn't just see her as some fuckable witch. He actually cared about her. The conversation that they had before she had departed from the Boarding House had convinced her as much. Closing her eyes, she prepared to drift off into a light sleep, but found herself reliving a memory that had taken place earlier that night.

 **(Flashback)**

 _The sound of the grandfather clock chiming loudly downstairs echoed inside of Bonnie's ears as she stood at the top of the staircase preparing to make her way outside of the Boarding House. It was nearing two in the morning and she was waiting for Stefan to gas up the car that he could take them to the airstrip where the private jet was waiting to fly them to their destination. Wiping the sleep out of her eyes, she adjusted the strap of her carry on bag tightly on her shoulder before jogging lightly down the stairs feeling mentally drained and physically exhausted. Twenty minutes ago she had been sleeping deeply when Stefan had woken her up abruptly telling her that he was leaving to fill the Porsche up with gas and that she should be ready to leave once he got back. She had whined, begged and bargained with him for a few more minutes to sleep in, but he killed her pleas by pulling the blankets off of her and throwing them on the floor on the opposite of the room before flipping on the switch on the wall causing the entire room to flood with light. Any hope of her getting any extra time to slip into much needed light slumber had been all but destroyed. After spending five minutes cursing Stefan's existence, Bonnie had gotten dressed and took solace in the fact that she would make up the lack of sleep once she was on board the plane. Arriving at the bottom of the stair case, she stifled a yawn, before reaching out and grabbing the door knob and making her way out of the Boarding House._

 _"Sneaking out like a thief in the night? Looks like someone has decided to borrow a page from my playbook."_

 _She felt her spine stiffen when her eyes fell upon Damon sitting on the partion wall on the porch with his head tilted back, his eyes closed and one knee pulled up to his chest. His face was relaxed and there was a lazy smile splayed across his lips. As her eyes moved from his face to the area below his neck, she gulped and quickly diverted her eyes when she discovered that he was shirtless, and wearing only a pair of black and blue flannel pajama bottoms. She had been in the process of sneaking out so that she wouldn't have to have an awkward conversation with the raven haired vampire, but unfortunately, he had sensed her deception coming from a mile away. For several seconds, they stared at each other in a tense silence, both wishing that they could go back to a time where they both could speak freely without the heaviness and awkwardness that was lingering between them in that moment. When the silence became too unbearable, Bonnie cleared her throat and smiled at him uneasily as she adjusted the strap of her luggage bag over her shoulder._

 _"Leaving without saying goodbye is your style, not mine," she said with a saccharine smile._

 _"Touche," Damon snorted before dropping his leg and pivoting so that he could face her with a patient and laid back look on his face that seemed to glow in the several seconds, they stood in front of each other in a tense silence, both wishing that they could go back to a time where they both could speak freely without the heaviness and awkwardness that was lingering between them in that moment. When the silence became too unbearable, Bonnie cleared her throat and smiled at him uneasily as she adjusted the hood of her hoodie on top of her head._

 _"Looks like I interrupted a reflective moment," she said sounding somewhat apologetic as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other._

 _"In the span of twenty four hours, you got your magic back, we found a lead on how to defeat Cade, and to top it all off, I was kissed by a beautiful woman," he grinned folding his hands behind his head watching as Bonnie eyes widened noticeably," I'm reflecting on the good things for a change."_

 _"Wish I could say the same thing," she sighed deeply as she deliberately ignored his attempt at flattery._

 _Her breath caught in the back of her throat as his hand lashed out and grabbed her wrist causing her to stumble into his arms. When she shot him an inquisitive look, he smiled briefly._

 _"Join me," he invited huskilly as he released her arm and motioned for her to sit next to him._

 _Dropping her bag, she reluctantly complied and sat next to him on the sone brick wall. She made sure to sit a good distance away so that they maintained a good and respectable amount of separation between them._

 _The cool evening air caused goosebumps to dance across Bonnie's exposed legs as she tried to ignore the awkwardness between them.. Glancing up at the night sky, she smiled softly as she watch as countless of stars beamed down causing an ethereal glow to stretch across the obnoxiously huge Salvatore estate. Besides the occasional chirp of crickets and the passing of random vehicles on the road several feet away, the atmosphere was relatively quiet. Resting her head on the brick wall behind her, she closed her eyes and began to mental prepare for the mission and task that was ahead of her. She had faced many different threats in her short lifetime, but knowing that she was preparing to go after the one weapon that was capable to defeat the literal devil left her feeling heavy hearted, frightened and overwhelmed._

 _"So what's on your mind, Bon Bon?" he asked quietly._

 _"What if I fail?" Her voice was so soft that Damon wouldn't have heard her if he didn't have vampire hearing. "What if I find the key to destroying Cade and when it comes time to take him down, I fail?"_

 _She lifted her head and stared at him bleakfully. Even though she was still mad at him, she really needed someone to vent to._

 _Damon was uncomfortable with seeing her look so vulnerable so he decided to lighten the mood with humor. "If you fail, I guess me and my brooding little brother will have eternal damnation to look forward to. I heard that the seventh circle of hell is a perfect vacationing spot if you like it really hot."_

 _Bonnie frowne deeply. "How the hell are you able to crack jokes at a time like this?"_

 _He smiled and scooted closer to her. "I am able to crack jokes because I know you won't fail."_

 _"You don't know that," she insisted softly._

 _The raven haired vampire sighed heavilly before turning serious. "Are you seriously going to make me sit here and read off a list of all the supernatural victories that you have pulled off over the years? You have defied death more than anyone that I know. You tangled with the entire Original family and survived, you took on Expression, defied your ancestors, broke out of a Prison World, survived being the huntress without killing any of your friends and you rescued me and your ex boyfriend from the clutches of a deranged siren. I think that you are more than qualified when it comes to taking on the devil." He stopped talking and took her hand in both of his. "You are going to succeed because you are strong and powerful. More importantly, I have complete and utter faith in you."_

 _Bonnie blinked owlishly before a smile blossomed across her face._

 _"What?" he asked cautiously._

 _"It's hard to stay mad at you when you say things like that," she confessed, "But I'm still mad at you."_

 _"And on that note, I think it's time for you to hear the apology that I have been working on for the past couple of hour," he started, but she stopped him by pressing her index finger against his lips taking him completely by surprise._

 _"Don't. I already know what you are going to say," she said curtly. "I'm sorry, Bon Bon," she said contorting her voice to sound deep and masculine as she made a poor attempt to mimic her best friend, "I know that I was wrong and I never meant to hurt you, but none of this would have happened if it wasn't for Stefan."_

 _Narrowing his methane blue eyes, he reached and wrapped his pale fingers around her mocha colored wrist before gently pulling her digits away from his lips._

 _Damon looked as if he was going to snap, but he pulled his mouth into a tight line before rising from the sitting position on the wall before making his way over to her. He didn't stop walking until he towered over her. Bonnie knows that this is a tactic he is using in an attempt to intimidate her, but she glares at him feeling completely unbothered._

 _"Cute, but you should really leave the impressions up to me," Damon said stiffly._

 _Bonnie smiles as he folded her arms across her chest and jutted her chin up arrogantly._

 _"Believe it or not, Bon," he started with a biting edge in his tone, "I am sorry. I'm sorry for everything and I need you to believe that."_

 _"I would believe that, but the truth is that you don't respect me," she said softly._

 _Damon silver blue eyes flashed with disbelief. "Do you honestly believe that? There is no one on this planet that I respect more than you."_

 _"You claim to respect me, but you don't lie to people you respect. You don't hurt people you respect. You don't manipulate them by kissing them when they are vulnerable."_

 _Damon tensed. "You honestly think that low of me? That the only reason why I would kiss you is because I was scheming?"_

 _"I don't know, and frankly I don't care because nothing you can say will convince me that you are nothing more than a manipulative piece of-"_

 _"Dear Bonnie," he interrupted her causing her fall silent, "I could say that writing this letter is the hardest thing that I ever had to do, but that would be a lie. Leaving you behind is the hardest thing I ever had to do, but in order to keep everyone that I love safe, I have to remove myself from your lives. The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but at least this way, you will be alive and you will be able to live the life you deserve. What you deserve is happiness, love and a life where you don't have to constantly put yourself on the line to protect people from danger. Knowing you have been one of the highlights of my immortal existence. I have spent so much time being on my own and alone, and you came along and changed that. We had our ups and downs but you showed me what it meant to be accountable, to be loyal and to care about someone other than myself. You taught me what it meant to have a friend, because you are my best friend and the best person that I have ever known and I will always be grateful for your presence in my life. I hope one day you will find it in your heart to forgive me and know that the act of leaving you wasn't done out of fear or cowardice. It was done out of my love for you. . When you love someone, you can't be selfish with them and I can't be selfish with you. Someone once said that love is a friendship that has caught fire, and you are my inferno, Bonnie Bennett. In more ways than one. If you don't believe anything that I written, I hope that you believe that." Damon swallowed deeply. "With great admiration and respect, Damon Salvatore."_

 _"That was the letter you left behind," she whispered swallowing the lump of tears that had been stuck in the back of her throat._

 _He smiled and rested his hands on her shoulder before staring down into her tear-filled eyes. "I meant every single word."_

 _Bonnie was speechless. She knew that there had been something important in the letter that had left Enzo distrustful of Damon's alleged platonic, but she never imagined it to be something of this magnitude. It was one thing for Damon to say he loved her. On some level when their friendship had progressed beyond killing and maiming each other, she had known that they had a simple kind of love between them. However, in the letter, he described love as a friendship that had caught on fire and he had referred to her as an inferno. A large fire that was dangerously out of control and if he really felt that their friendship was that intense, maybe her safety wasn't the only reason why Damon had anxiously scramble into the coffin where he had desiccated._

 _"I know that you have every reason to hate me and not trust me after everything that has happened, but I need to know that you aren't going to give up on me," he said, his voice quiet and filled with desperation. "I don't know what I would do if you weren't in my life. I'll do whatever you want to make it up to you but just tell me...tell me that I haven't lost you for good."_

 _Bonnie felt her heart flutter in her chest as she saw the sincerity and the desperation reflecting in Damon's methane blue eyes. He had made himself vulnerable by being honest with him so she figured that she could do the same and be honest with him._

 _"You haven't lost me, Damon. When it came to choosing my best friend, I chose you. You are the person who I am going to fight and make up with for the next eighty years. You are the person who is going to give me away at my wedding one day when I get married. You are the person who is going to look after my future kids and grandkids long after I'm gone. I didn't chose Stefan to be that person. I chose you. My friendship with Stefan won't change what you and I have. It will never replace what we have. You have my word."_

 _"Do you really want me to be there for all of those milestones in your life?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper._

 _Bonnie stared at him confused. "Of course I do. When I think about my future, I always imagine you being in it."_

 _"Why would you want someone in your life that you could never love?" he asked bluntly with traces of bitterness in his voice._

 _Bonnie eyes widened and she felt guilt and regret coursing through her as the harsh words she had spat at Damon earlier came back to haunt her._

 _"I shouldn't have said that I could never love you," she said after a moment of silence passed between them. "The truth was that when Enzo accused me of having feelings for you, I became defensive because he wasn't exactly wrong. When you desiccated, I did feel like my heart was broken and it took me a long time to figure out why it hurt so bad when you abandoned me, and I finally came to the terrifying conclusion that I did love you." She inhaled deeply as she forced herself to find the courage to continue. "It wasn't some all consuming, earth shattering, rom com type of love. This love made me calm, it made me feel secured, it made me feel like I was apart of something greater than myself. It's that love you have for someone that you consider family and would do anything and everything in the world for them. You are my family, Damon. No matter what you do and what you say, I don't think there is anything that could ever make me stop loving you, and maybe that's why I think that is why I was so angry earlier. I was mad at you for the things you said and done, but I was more angrier with myself because I know that at the end of the day, I was going to love you regardless."_

 _There was a long moment where Damon stood silently and just stared at her. She knew she had said a mouthful and he was simply processing everything, but she couldn't help but feel somewhat nervous._

 _She bit back a smile as she felt Damon arms wrap around her pulling her into a tight and possessive embrace._

 _"I don't deserve you," he said honestly as he pulled back stared straight down at her affectionately._

 _"I know," Bonnie smiled sweetly as she flicked the tip of his nose lightly, "I'm just sticking around until the day you realize that you do."_

 **(Flashback Ends)**

"You are doing that thing again."

Stefan's flat voice caused Bonnie to shift her gaze from staring out the window at the darkness of the sky to the brooding vampire in the seat next to her. She had been so distracted by the memory of her earlier conversation with her best friend that she hadn't noticed when Stefan had returned from his little tryst with the flight attendant. Her moss green eyes narrowed as she noticed that his caramel colored hair was messy, his lips were puffy and his black button down shirt was half opened exposing a flash of his bare chest. He was the perfect image of a man who had been completely and thoroughly satisfied by a woman and she couldn't help but feel a flash of contempt go through her. It was bad enough that Stefan had happily put his mouth on another woman after he had kissed her senselessly less than twenty four hours ago, but now she had to deal with the fact that he was sitting next to her reeking of sex, sweat and nauseating perfume.

"Doing what thing?" Bonnie cleared her throat softly as she tried to ignore how Stefan's beautiful post coital glow was having a slight effect on her.

"Thinking about Damon," he said reaching over and lazily playing with a loose dark curl of her hair, "I can tell because you always have this particular expression on your face when it comes to my brother. It's a mixture of annoyance, amusement and something else that I can't quite put my finger on. Your eyes glaze over and your adorable mouth twist into this brooding pout. I have always secretly referred to this specific look as being your "Bonnie-got-Damon-on-the-brain-face."

Bonnie shrugged as she shapes on the window where her breath had left a patch of fog on the glass. "I was just thinking how nice it felt when Damon and I worked out our differences before I left. It would have sucked to spend the entire trip being mad at him."

Stefan smirked and shook his head.

"There really isn't anything that he could do that you wouldn't forgive him for, is there?" he mused aloud as he studied her closely, "I mean, he did commit some pretty unforgivable slights against you."

"Who hasn't?" she sighed wearily.

"True, but Damon ranks pretty high on the list of people who have wronged you," Stefan continued to push, "He tried to kill you, he was responsible for Sheila's untimely death, he literally snapped your mother's neck, he abandoned you for three years and he lies to you about Enzo being held hostage by Sybil. At what point do you realize that Damon doesn't really respect you and he is completely taken advantage of your friendship and loyalty?"

Bonnie shifted him in her seat so that she was staring at him directly.

"Damon isn't perfect and yes, my friendship with him can be problematic at times," she admitted softly causing Stefan to snort rudely, "But for all the bad things that Damon has done, he has done a lot of good as well. He was the one who came up with a plan to save my life when Klaus had taken control of Alaric's body and tried to kill me. He also stayed behind on Nova Scotia and found me during the whole Silas nightmare when he could have easily given up searching for me to be by Elena's side. He fed me his blood when Ric attacked me the night of the twenty's decade dance, he fought to bring me back when I died and was a ghost for an entire summer, he bought me back when I was trapped in the prison world. When Kai linked my life to Elena's, Damon chose to save me and keep me alive. When I was dying from the anti magic pills, it was Damon who made a deal with the Armory to save my life, despite the fact that I openly hated him and when I was the Huntress and tried to kill him, he was willing to die. So. Yeah. Damon may not be a Saint, but out of all the people in my life, he was the one person who came through for me when I needed to be saved."

Stefan stared at Bonnie as she inhaled sharply after her little rant. There was something about the way Bonnie so passionately defended his older brother that left a bad taste in the vampires mouth.

"You and Damon are thick and thieves and the worlds greatest besties. Great. I'm bored. Let's talk about something else," Stefan grumbled annoyed.

Bonnie swirled the small amount of Don in her glass before a devious smile crossed her lips.

" I'll stop talking about Damon under one condition," she said in a sing song voice.

"What?" he asked flatly.

"You have to tell me what you said to Damon when you two were arguing in Italian earlier today," she pressed as she propped her chin on her fist and stared at him with droopy eyes.

Stefan sighed as he smiled patiently. "Trust me. You really don't want to know."

"If I didn't want to know, I wouldn't have asked," she insisted slurring slightly feeling light headed from the mixture of the motion sickness drug and the champagne.

"I asked Damon what annoyed him the most? The fact that I wanted to make love to you or the fact that you would let me? He told me to go fuck myself, and I..."

"And you what?" Bonnie asked with a coquettish smile on her lips.

Stefan eyes darkened noticably. "I told him that I'm going to make love to you, I'm going to make you scream my name, and I'm going to fill you with my seed...just like I did Elena."

Bonnie blinked owlishly as she felt her mouth grow dry and her stomach do backflips. The intensity and heat that she heard in his words was enough to make any red blooded woman jump his bones.

He leaned forward with a impish smile on his face. "Now that I told you something that you wanted to know, it's your turn to tell me something that I want to know."

"What do you want to know?" she murmered rising from her seat and standing on her tip toes as she stretched deeply.

He wet his bottom lip with his tongue before staring at her seriously. "Who is the better kisser? Me or my brother?"

Bonnie bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. "Seriously? I'm not answering that question."

"Typical Bonnie Bennett. All buisness and absolutely no pleasure," Stefan rolled his eyes before leveling her with a pointed look.

He was hoping that the dig would get under her skin, but he was surprised when she giggled and shrugged nonchalantly. "What do you want me to say, Stefan? That kissing you and your brother made me weak in the knees to the point where I saw the stars dance behind my eyes?"

"If you are just going to wax poetry on me, forget it," he huffed agitated by the fact that she was attempting to mock him.

"Oh no. You deserve to hear the truth and the truth is that while a lot of women may have bragged about being kissed by a Salvatore, I have to admit that from my first hand experience, it left a lot to be desired," She purred as she bent over and rested her hands on his knees while staring straight into his eyes. She smirked as she tensed beneath her touch. Secretly pleased that she had managed to get under the vampire's skin, Bonnie continued to press his buttons. "Kissing Damon was a real eye opener, but you were a little underwhelming," she lied softly. "Not only was it boring, but it was painfully unforgettable. Totally nothing to write home about. In fact, I would go so far as to say-"

She was cut off when, Stefan hands flew out and grabbed Bonnie's hips before pulling her down on his lap causing a small and undignified squeak to escape her lips.

"See, I can totally believe the fact that you weren't all that impressed by Damon's kiss, but when it comes to me, I know better," he grinned holding her tightly in his arms as she tried to wiggle off his lap, "I happen to know for a fact that you enjoyed kissing me." He pressed his nose against the soft curve of her neck and inhaled sharply. "I could tell from the way your pulse raced and the smell of your arousal that you loved how my tongue had its wicked way with you. You can pretend to be indifferent about what happened between us all you want, but we both know the truth."

"And what's that?" she growled glaring down at him, ignoring the way her body reacted to him rubbing his thumb against her bare hip bone.

"This whole big production of you being disgusted and turned off by me is all an act. If you were honest with me, you could admit that you want me just as much as I want you," he said huskily, his eyes lingering on her lips.

As she felt heat rise in the back of her neck, she tried her best not to let her anger and annoyance show, but it was extremely difficult. She felt offended that he thought she was so desperate and weak that she would so easily succumb to his charm. She may have slipped up and allowed herself a single moment of weakness when she had reciprocated the kiss that he had initiated, but she had zero plans whatsoever to pursue anything romantic or sexual with the arrogant ass vampire.

She was tempted to give him a severe tongue lashing for thinking so little of her self esteem, but she decided to go a different route. Licking her lips, Bonnie pressed her mouth against his cheek and instead of feeling pleasure, Stefan grunted as he felt the familiar sensation of desiccating. He squirmed in discomfort as she continued her pain inflicting spell. While he was more than capable of man handling her and forcing her off of him, a large part of him was extremely turned on. Her violence towards him was appealing to the masochistic streak that he had inside of him. As his face began to turn a light shade of gray, he groaned loudly before squeezing her thigh causing her to hiss before removing her mouth from his face. Almost immediately, his flesh began to return to its normal color and he panted heavily while he stared up at her with black veins crawling around his dark green eyes glowing with anger and desire.

"Does that feel like I want you?" she asked batting her eyelashes innocently.

"You are such a tease," he muttered as she climbed off of his lap and made her way back into her seat.

"That's what you get for thinking that I would be desperate enough to drop my panties for you," she taunted as she smiled smugly.

"Fair enough," Stefan chuckled quietly as he quietly tried to talk down the erection inside of his pants. He knew that seducing Bonnie wasn't going to be easy, but he was looking forward to the challenge. Bonnie would wave off his advances and pretend to be offended by his interest in her sexually, but he knew that she would eventually give in to him. Every woman he had ever pursued always gave in. It wasn't arrogance. It was just facts.

For the next couple of hours, the vampire and witch laughed made small talk, both supernatural creatures taking care to avoid subjects that would force them to confront the sexual tension hanging over their heads like cheap perfume. He listened patiently while she answered questions about her favorite books, preferred music and personal politics. She laughed when he told embarrassing child hood stories about Damon, she rolled her eyes when he made cheap digs at Elena and she glared daggers at him whenever he made thinly veiled sexual innuendos. Stefan secretly took pleasure in the fact that he knew which buttons to push to annoy her and which buttons to press to charm his way back into her good graces. When they finally ran out of things to talk about, they settled into a comfortable silence that was actually more preferable than aimless chit chatting. Eventually, Bonnie's exhaustion got the best of her and she quietly drifted off into another light sleep. Stefan tried to focus on reading an article in Forbes about the richest rappers in hip hop, but truth be told, he couldn't really bring himself to care. Sighing softly, he closed the magazine and tossed it aside before turning his bored gaze onto the sleeping witch next to him.

This was the second night in a row that Bonnie had fallen asleep next to him. The first time, he had been a little high on her blood, so he didn't pay much attention to the little things that he was noticing at the present. Things like the way her heart beat was slow, soft and hypnotic. The sound of her mumbling in Latin in her sleep, the sight of eyelids fluttering ever so slightly as she dreamed and the way she nuzzled the side of her face into her blanket like a new born kitten seeking comfort had him quietly intrigued. As his gaze trailed across her face, he began to wonder how she would look pinned beneath him as he fucked her until she went hoarse from screaming his name. Would she be the type of girl who would hide her face behind her hands because she was afraid of looking too vulnerable in the moment, or was she the type who would throw her head back and allow the freedom of her climax to reflect in her stormy green eyes? Starring down at her passion swollen lips and the soft curves of her face, he knew It would be so easy for him to go inside of her head and plant the most filthiest wet dream imaginable to play out in her dreams, but he knew that it would be crossing the line. Not only would Bonnie probably set him on fire for that putting his perverted thoughts inside of her head, but she would probably never trust him again, and if she didn't trust him, that mean that there was no chance on him ever satisfying his curiosity about how her snatch would taste with his tongue buried deep inside of her.

Groaning softly, he dropped his head back against the head rest and tried to push the steamy images of screwing Bonnie out of his head, but he was finding it extremely impossible to do. He thought that banging it out with Maria the very flexible flight attendant would curb his sexual appetite, but truth told, he had ended up coming to completion feeling less than satisfied. Marie had been a very generous and open minded lover, he would give her that, but something about her had been all wrong. Her eyes were the wrong shade, her skin the wrong tone, and her kissing ability had left a lot to be desired. On some level, Stefan knew that he was being petty and unfair given the fact that he had been the one to initiate sexual relations with Marie, but the truth was that she was a poor man's substitute.

Staring at the object of his quiet affection, he lightly trailed his knuckles across Bonnie's cheek and subconsciously licked his lips. There was a part of him that knew that he should just respect Bonnie's boundaries and keep his lust and affection in check, but it was hard to ignore the fact that he wanted her. One way or another he was going to use his newfound friendship with Bonnie to get closer to her. He was going to be her champion, her friend, her shoulder to cry on, her confident. When she got around to letting her walls down, he was going to pounce and the tragically amusing part of it all is that the little Bennett witch was never going to see it coming. Just the thought of achieving his goal made a dark smile cross his handsome face. Stefan was a man who made it a habit of always getting what he want, and what he wanted. He wanted to ease his way into Bonnie's good graces. He wanted to earn her trust. He wanted her to make her believe in him, but most importantly, he wanted the Bennett witch and he was determined to have her by any means necessary.

 **End Note: This is the end of the first Arc of the story. The second Arc will pick up the pace with more action, drama and smut.**


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